Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Never Alone
I was recently driving a long distance by myself. It was about a four-hour drive from my town to my destination. The route was a fairly easy one, with only a few key turns to remember. Nonetheless, I still entered my destination address into the Mapquest app on my iPhone, because I like to keep track of how many miles it is until my next turn. I was on a major highway, with my cruise control set, and on my way.
I thought all was well until the app on my phone told me to get off the highway and take back roads. Upon further investigation, I found that the app was saying there were some roads closed on the initial path. At this point, I had a choice. Should I stay on the original path or follow the smartphone’s advice? I chose to ignore the app’s suggestion and continued on the path that I felt comfortable with.
But I had doubts. What if the road was closed? What if I experienced a detour? This could be scary considering it would mean traveling unfamiliar roads by myself.
However, I had a peaceful feeling. For one thing, I believed it was unlikely that the major highway was shut down. (I also checked a traffic website and didn’t see any issues on my path.) And ultimately, I knew that although I was the only human being in the car, the truth was that I was not alone. I never am. And that is one of the best feelings we as children of God experience. No matter what we are going through, we have peace knowing that the Lord is always with us. He will get us through.
Sometimes we might know something to be true, but have a difficult time feeling that on the inside. So how do we get there? It takes trust. We must trust in God in order to have this peace. Of course there are many times and situations in which we will fear and worry. Even when we have walked with Jesus for a long time. So what are we to do? Reminding ourselves of the truths found in the Bible helps us.
I find it interesting and telling that I happened to have read Psalm 139 on the morning of this journey. Perhaps the words had helped remind me of truth before I hit the road. The words in this Psalm talk about how no matter where we go, God is always there and He can see us. This Psalm also talks about how God already knew what each day of our lives would hold even before we were born. And in this Psalm we see how well God knows us inside and out. The words are simply beautiful, and can bring us great comfort.
1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
Psalm 139 NIV
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
There are many other Bible verses that talk about God being with us. I have just a few listed below. I have found that when we meditate on (or memorize) verses that speak to us, it helps us to tuck these truths into our hearts. And then when we need the truth of God’s Word in order to face something in life, it is readily available to us.
—> This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NLT
—> So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV
—> And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 NLT
—> Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 NKJV
The next time you are facing an uncertain path, whether literally or figuratively, I hope you will remember that you are never alone. The Good Shepherd is always with you, and He will guide you.
P.S. When I originally posted this, I neglected to say that going the original route was the right thing to do. I arrived at my destination safe and sound. Thank you to my dear blogger friends who asked. God is so good. He kept me safe and guided my path.
© Bridget A. Thomas 2023
Bridget A. Thomas 
God always brings us peace and joy. I love the verses you quoted. I can’t quote it correctly but God says he has given us peace and a sound mind.
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Yes so true! Thank you for that reminder. Definitely a great verse to keep tucked in our hearts. 🤗
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I love the psalm you mention and all the verse you have put together here. He is with us always. We are never alone. There are times when we might struggle to feel it but as you said tucking away these verses in our hearts help us at those times.
Blessings my friend 💙💐
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So true, Manu. Life can hand us many things to worry and fret over. But when we stay grounded in God’s Word, His truths will shine through. Blessings to you too, dear friend! 💜🤗
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Beautiful reminder of Psalm 139, been a bit since I’ve read those verses..so comforting.
I’m assuming you were right about just staying on the normal path?
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Oops, Good point. I should have looped back to say that all was fine on my drive. I had no issue going the original path. Thank you for checking 😁 And I agree, Psalm 139 is so beautiful and comforting. I am so thankful we have such a loving Father who gave us this love letter to remind that He is always with us. 🥰
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❤️❤️❤️
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So the route you were on was okay? 🙂
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Lol, Yes! Alicia asked me too! I am sorry I neglected to mention that. I will add it to the post. Thank you for looking out for me. God got me through safe and sound. 🙏🙌
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Thanks for this post, Bridget. It was helpful for me during our recent inclement weather service to remember that God was with me in that moment. Otherwise, I’m not sure it would have been something that I could have led our team through. Blessings.
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I can imagine having God with you in your line of work really does make a big difference. I sometimes wonder how non-believers live without the Lord. I think that would be a lonely and scary life. But I am so thankful we don’t have to live without Him. Blessings to you too, Rainer!
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Amen, Bridget. There are a few key scriptures I like to use as mantras—saying them over and over as needed. The Word of God truly is active and sharp as a sword!
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I agree! God’s Word is so powerful. And sometimes repeating it over and over can bring such comfort. Thank you for stopping by, David!
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I like how you mentioned that you had a peaceful feeling. That is a reminder that God guides us by peace. There are so many “detours” and options available to us but walking closely with the Holy Spirit will keep us on the right path. And as you said, we are never alone. I have Proverbs 2:8 on my dashboard in the car, ”He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.” When I was living in Florida, it was just me and my daughter so seeing that verse everyday brought me comfort to know God was with us. Thanks Bridget! Also, I’m on day 10 of the book and it’s been such a blessing to be more intentional about cultivating a heart of thanksgiving each day! I am enjoying your personal stories. Have a blessed weekend!
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Such a good point about the peaceful feeling. And how amazing it is that the Lord chose peace to guide us. What a loving Father we have. I love how you have that verse on your dashboard. That is such a great idea! … And I am so glad you are enjoying the book and focusing on gratitude. I am trying to do the same. I feel like it’s an important practice all the time. But during low seasons, it really helps keep our focus in the right direction. 💜
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So glad you made it safely to your destination, Bridget, without delays or getting lost. Psalm 139 is one of my favorites! What a great passage to read the morning of your long trip. Awareness of God’s presence makes such a HUGE difference, doesn’t it? To have a verse or song at-the-ready as a reminder and faith-booster is a smart thing to do, since we never know when troubling circumstances will find us!
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So true! And I am finding lately that it is unexpected circumstances shake me the most. I am happy I handled this situation well, but that has not always been the case. Thankfully the Lord doesn’t give up on us and helps us to keep learning and growing. Thank you for stopping by, Nancy!
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