As I’m writing this some of us have survived our Midterms while others are still cramming for them and fall break is just on the horizon. The middle of the semester marks a transition into harder papers, the projects coming up that we don’t feel ready for, and the dreaded final exam week.
As college students, we are constantly stressed about the next assignment due or when we’ll be able to study for that big exam coming up. Our schedule is filled every hour with class, homework, work, trying to hang out with friends, eating, sleeping, working out, etc etc etc. It all piles up until the sun sets, and we still go to bed feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and like there isn’t enough time in the day.
This all leads to a toll on our mental and physical health. Maybe we’re dehydrated, hungry, cranky, anxious, depressed. You name it. And in the midst of this we can’t feel God. We don’t have time for His presence, we can’t make time for our Bible study, and prayers become a few sentences before bed.
God gets it, but He wants us to know that in every struggle: We are not alone.
In the book of Ruth, a woman named Naomi loses her husband and two sons.
The book of Job is an entire account of everything being taken from Job.
When Jesus was walking on Earth, thousands of people flocked to Him to be saved or healed in some way.
When our world is crashing in, God has a bigger and better plan. He doesn’t leave us in the midst of our busy college schedules. He doesn’t abandon us when we don’t put aside time for Him.
When Naomi lost her husband and sons, she was completely alone. She thought she had nothing left. She changed her name to Mara because she believed God had taken everything from her and it made her bitter. But in the midst of her grief and loneliness a woman named Ruth stepped up and promised not to leave her. Ruth went on to marry Boaz and through that marriage, Naomi was blessed with a new son from the woman who promised not to leave her side.
When Job heard how his family and everything he owned was swept away by a great wind, he fell to the ground and worshipped God (Job 1:20). He didn’t let his reality shake his faith. Job lost everything, he was ridden with disease, and his friends weren’t giving him the wise counsel he desperately needed. After living through that and coming to the end of himself, God blessed him with even more than he originally had!
The Bible is filled with examples of Jesus healing people. The blind, the lame, the lepers, the bleeding, and even bringing the dead back to life. Spirits were empty, hope was gone, and yet Jesus still showed up. He still healed. He still met people exactly where they were at. (In the devo week 3 we learned that He bowed down to be next to the adulteress women on trial for her actions). Not only did Jesus heal, but He was a friend to the disciples. He loved everyone around Him, and He still chose to make the ultimate sacrifice for you and me.
The Bible is filled with people who were just like us. Hopeless, afraid, anxious, sick, depressed….and God did miracles in their lives. God brought them out of the darkness. They were blessed and they were loved as His children. The Bible isn’t full of these accounts for us to read over and ignore. We can find pieces of ourselves in Naomi and Job when they lost everything or in the people Jesus walked with.
It may not look like complete healing or complete rest, but we know we serve a God who is always with us. Even when we aren’t paying attention to Him.
You, child of God, are not alone. God sees you through every sleepless night or emotional breakdown. And He is promising better for you. A life with God is hard, but joy comes in the morning.
With love,
GVSU Delight Ministries
GVSU Delight Ministries 