Is it true that when we become Christians that we will never be alone again? We hear songs on the radio or at church or come across stuff like this in the Bible but what does it really mean?
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4
This famous verse above says “I will fear no evil; for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Do we really physically see God or have a physical rod and staff from Him? Ha no.
To understand what this means we have to see what Jesus said after He died for our sins and was no longer here on earth with us. What He said was that He wouldn’t leave us alone like an orphan but that God would send us the Holy Spirit, a Helper, a Comforter after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven. But still, what does this mean for us? Let’s take a look at the verse below.
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”
John 14:16-17
So “not being alone” as Christians, Christ-followers, believers, (whatever you want to call it), means that we are never alone because the Holy Spirit is with us continually wherever we go. The Holy Spirit comforts us, brings wisdom and understanding, brings us peace when it doesn’t make sense, and brings us strength when we are weak.
How do we get the Holy Spirit? There are different trains of thought on this but from everything I have heard and seen, we get the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and make Him Lord of our lives.
Now there is a difference between gaining the Helper or Holy Spirit when we are saved versus being baptized in the Holy Spirit. I know this from the Bible but also from personal experience. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is different and many Christians are too scared to experience it, unfortunately.
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 11:15-16
Your spiritual walk and choices are between you and God and I don’t blame or condemn you if you haven’t received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You may have never had the opportunity!
I’m no expert in this area but I have personally experienced it by wanting to but it took a couple of times trying to. If you want to find out more about this, I encourage you to look to the Bible, specifically about the Holy Spirit and baptism of the Holy Spirit for clarity on this.
I received it when other believers who had already received it, laid hands on me. And no, it wasn’t just “speaking in tongues” and no, nothing I have ever experienced comes close to feeling as good as when I felt the Holy Spirit a few times. It’s hard to explain how it felt other than it was incredible.
The Holy Spirit is what sets us apart from others who don’t know the Lord. We now have an internal compass pointing us in the direction of what is right, what is lovely, and what is admirable.
Does that mean we will be perfect and always listen to the Holy Spirit? No, we still have the freedom of choice to decide if we listen and obey it or not. But you can take it from me who hasn’t listened to the Holy Spirit’s promptings at different times in my life and hear me when I say that things didn’t end well for those particular situations.
For instance, I kept hearing or thinking about how I needed to call my aunt and see how she was doing. Now for a little context, my aunt was schizophrenic and when my Dad died and her other living sibling left for another state, there wasn’t really anyone around to check in on her.
She did have a husband and son she lived with but no other family member besides her elderly dad, my grandad to check in on her. It was just me and I felt prompted after my dad passed away to check in on her. So I felt the prompting to contact her for a month but you know how life gets when you’re busy.
Well, she died and I completely missed the opportunity to do what the Lord was putting on my heart. I’ve never regretted not doing something so much in my life and felt horrible. I had to come to terms with that, ask for forgiveness, and try to forgive myself for being so stupid and not listening to the Lord.
Now, on the other hand, there have been times I’ve listened to the Lord (Holy Spirit) and things were way better than they could’ve been. For example, a few years ago, I felt I literally heard— in my own voice and thought to myself— to change lanes while driving. Low and behold if I hadn’t, I would’ve been smashed to pieces in my little car because a vehicle swerved right into that lane I just had moved out of.
I can’t tell you how many times something like this has happened to me. It’s not always life-threatening for me, sometimes it’s something small to make life a little easier. Anyways, I hope you’re getting my point. Listening to the Holy Spirit is so much better than not for potentially our own safety at times and for others.
Life is so much better with the Lord and listening to His guidance through the Holy Spirit within us. I can’t imagine how vulnerable and exposed I’d be without Him.
The Bottom Line
As Christ-followers, we are never alone because we have the Holy Spirit within us— guiding us, protecting us, giving us sweet peace, and comfort, and bringing us strength in times we need it most. The Lord can bring things to mind, tell us through others, or show us through the Word what He’s trying to tell us. But then it’s ultimately up to us if we listen and obey it. Life is so much better when we listen to and obey the Holy Spirit.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Isaiah 43:2
At one of the most difficult moments of my life, I listened to the song below called “I Am Not Alone” by Kari Jobe. I was so scared and felt so alone and tears streamed down my face as all I could muster up the strength to say was Jesus. At that very moment, peace rushed over me and I didn’t feel alone. I hope that you find that peace when you need it as well and know that YOU ARE NEVER ALONE <3.
A Prayer For You
Lord Jesus, thank You for sending us the Helper, the Holy Spirit so that we are never alone. Please forgive us for the times we have ignored the promptings of the Holy Spirit and help us to recognize it so we can listen to it going forward. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.
