We Are Not Alone; Jesus Is with Us Always
David W Palmer
(John 16:32 NKJV) “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
In his opening words of this passage, Jesus states a true and characteristic—but very disappointing—prediction about the level of devotion of his friends (at that time): “You will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave me alone.” This speaks of human nature and the reality of life on this planet. Even though it would be nice to have your friends with you and supporting you in your greatest times of testing and trial, they will probably desert you too. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t have his eyes on them for his security and comfort. We too can learn how to draw inner strength, moral power, and identity anchorage the way he did.
Jesus clarified for us where his inner peace, strength, and security were anchored: “Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” This is not simply a glib statement to put on a brave face after friends abandon you or fail to support you in the way you need; this is Jesus’s confession of exactly how his inner life worked. His Father really was the love of his life—his closest companion, confidant, his security, and his identity anchor point.
Jesus’s Father was with him right up until it was necessary to release him to death on the cross. Temporarily, Jesus was separated from his Father so we will never have to be:
(Matthew 27:46 NKJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
For us, being severed from God is a horrifying thought. Thankfully—as a result of his death, separation from Father, his burial and resurrection—Jesus can now say with absolute guarantee to us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”:
(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
He is with you always. Friends and family, even good friends and those closest to you, may abandon you, or even attack you in your hour of deepest testing; but Jesus is always with you. The following passage gives us a good pattern for him being with us, and manifesting himself to us:
(Luke 24:13–15 NKJV) Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. {14} And they talked together of all these things which had happened. {15} So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
Jesus will join in conversations about him. He does this by his Spirit who is continually guiding us into all truth, and because he is the living Word of God. When the word is discussed and confessed under the guidance and anointing of the Holy Spirit, it comes to life; that is, Jesus is right there in the conversation as the living Word of God (See also: Mat. 18:20).
(Luke 24:16 NKJV) But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
Jesus is with us, but not always recognizable or in full manifestation. We simply must accept by faith that he truly is with us always. Let’s follow this passage to the end so we can learn how this works:
(Luke 24:17–24 NKJV) And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” {18} Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” {19} And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, {20} and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. {21} But we were hoping that it was He who wa
