Looking through my family’s vacation albums, one will find a picture of my younger sister, probably around the age of four, standing in a sea of tourists on Main Street, Disney World. Despite the excitement of rides, snacks, and shops around her, she wears a look of loneliness and desperation, the look of a lost child. Obviously, to my parents, she wasn’t actually lost; they knew she was safe enough to snap a quick photo, but to my sister, who wasn’t sure where her family had disappeared to in this strange place, was completely alone, possibly even feeling abandoned.

Do you have moments like that? Despite the world’s busyness going on around you and the many people surrounding you, do you ever feel lonely and desperate? I think at some point in our lives, while we deal with serious illness or broken relationships or stressful jobs or depressing circumstances, we’ve all felt abandoned to some degree. Even though we realize that we have family support, or special friendships, or a prayerful church, sometimes we feel like we are standing in an amusement park and we’re the only ones not having any fun; we’re the only ones who feel out of place.

It always amazes me that God understands so clearly our everyday fears and needs and has already made promises and given us hope in the face of such moments in our lives. Throughout the Old and New Testament, God constantly reminds us of his loving and unfailing presence.

As Jacob left the familiarity of his home at the request of Isaac, God uses a dream to remind him that he was not alone on his life’s journey: “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Genesis: 28:15.

As Moses aged and was no longer able to physically lead the Israelites, he encourages them with this reminder: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6.

At Saul’s coronation, Samuel recognizes the sinful pasts of the Israelites, but reassures them of God’s love for His people: “ For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” 1 Samuel 12:22

As a dedicated servant of the Lord, though often frustrated with the lack of acceptance of his message, Isaiah shares in a poem the faithfulness of God’s presence: “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Isaiah 49: 13-15

As Paul affirms the efforts of the early churches and sympathizes with their struggles, he also understands that they too need reminding of God’s closeness: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

God feels no different toward us than he did toward Isaac, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, or Paul. He created us in his image and desires an intimacy with us regardless of our faults and failures. The most literal example of God being present with his creation occurs in Genesis, as He walks through the Garden with Adam and Eve before their sinful fall. I am often envious of such an experience, and then I remember that God did not abandon us, even after our sins; he still draws near to us.

I’m not sure how my sister got “lost” in that aforementioned picture. Maybe she simply walked in the wrong direction, let go of her parent’s hand, or wandered aimlessly paying little attention the world around her. Don’t we do the same? Those are the times when we too feel far away from God. . . because we moved. God is like my parents. He is still here. He is still protecting us. He is simply waiting for us to look back up and make eye contact, then we’ll be lost no more.