In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? —Psalm 118:5-6.
The beginning of the year is a trying time for people I care about. Maybe it’s been that way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them, is that they may know the comfort of God’s presence. The presence of the Lord is absolutely vital to us if we are going to stand up for him and stand firm in the face of trial. The Lord does long to be with us, especially in those moments when we feel most alone and abandoned. He told us that by experiencing anguish himself and being alone on the cross. You can lean in, call upon, and have your hope in Jesus because he has been in the places you were hurting and came through to give us a way to God’s steadfast presence.