Never Alone

By Irony Illuminator

I close my eyes and begin to dream.

The image that rises before my mind’s eye is one of peace. The sky is blue above, and the grass is green below. The sun casts its warm, golden rays, shining on the Earth. A gentle breeze caresses the trees, swaying branches with iridescent leaves. The stream that flows past is clear and calm, murmuring softly to itself.

And He is there; He walks with me, provides for me, protects me, comforts me.

I cling to this picture in my head, unwilling to let it go. Against my will, it fades.

I open my eyes to chaos.

Darkness surrounds me. Rising to my feet, I shuffle forward, trying to feel my way down the narrow, rocky path on which I am set. Thunder roars in the distance. Every so often, lightning flashes and illuminates the steep, unforgiving cliffs that rise on either side of me, forbidding escape.

Here I am trapped. Here I cry out in this darkness, seeking help.

Here I am alone.

The darkness laughs at me, mocking me. You have been abandoned. There is no one to rescue you from this nightmare. You…are…alone…

I am alone.

Despair takes me, steals my very breath.

I stumble and fall forward, waiting, hopeless, for my knees to hit the ground.

But they don’t.

A pair of strong, loving arms encircles me, lifting me up.

The darkness flees.

I look into His face, into His eyes, and I see love there. Love and a promise.

He holds me while I weep, and He comforts me.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For

You are with me.”

I am not alone. Never alone.

He is with me.

-Psalm 23