Never Walk Alone (Friday Devotional)

 

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

- Deuteronomy 31:8

When our oldest started kindergarten in August, there were lots of new things we had to decide. What would we pack in his lunch? What time would we wake him up every day? Who would be responsible for taking him to school? And finally, how would we drop him off?

You see, at Andrew’s school, there are two viable ways for parents to drop off their kids (*technically* you could also find a spot in the school parking lot, but only in the same way you could *technically* find a winning lottery ticket on the ground.) Option #1 is to go through the drop-off lane, where cars line up and, directed by teachers acting as traffic cops, crawl toward the front of the school. When they get to the front, their kid leaps out the passenger door and, usually after a halfhearted wave to their parent, makes their way to class. Option #2 is for parents to park in the neighborhood across the street and, aided by the crossing guard, walk their child to school.

On the second day of the semester, we asked Andrew what he wanted to do. Still intimidated by all the changes kindergarten was bringing, he quickly said he wanted us to walk him to school—he wasn’t ready to walk to the front door on his own. In the ensuing weeks and months, he’s obviously gotten more used to the whole routine, and any nervousness has long since dissipated. Nevertheless, despite our asking multiple times if he’d rather us join the drop-off lane, he’s consistently declined. He’s no longer afraid of the walk, but he still doesn’t want to do it alone.

There’s something there worth considering for the life of faith, often described in Scripture as our “walk.” In a world where individualism is extolled, where dependence is seen as weakness, where we care more about superstars who do it all than about teamwork, there can be a temptation to think that life in Christ is a solitary affair. It’s my decision to accept the calling of the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus; it’s my relationship with the Lord; it’s my life.

But while there is something to be said for the idea of a personal relationship with God, nowhere does Scripture call us to a lonely one. When we read the Bible, we are reminded that we are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses,” brothers and sisters who have gone before us and whom we will meet in glory. When we gather as a local church, we do so as a recognition that discipleship, worship, and fellowship are communal acts, not solitary ones. And most of all, we are comforted and encouraged by the presence of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the Lord: he is “with us always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus does not call us to be lone rangers living lives of quiet desperation. God has given us everything we need—his Word, his Spirit, and his church—so that we will be prepared for our walk of faith and to help our brothers and sisters in theirs. So when you’re feeling overwhelmed, unequipped, and uninspired, take a page out of my son’s book: don’t walk alone.