Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song from my favorite singer, Josh Groban, singing … You’ll Never Walk Alone … poignantly declaring the reality of our need to have confidence to never walk alone; and we. as Christians, don’t because of what our Lord did for us on the cross.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 23:36-38 … [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus so desired for His friends to pray WITH HIM; but they failed Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 26:36-46 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus lacked the support of His closest friends in the Garden.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 14:1 [NLT] …
1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. …”
… We need not be troubled in this life because our Savior ALWAYS walks with us.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Hebrews 13:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Because Jesus walks with us we, as His disciples, will NEVER walk alone.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, used a modern day research illustration to teach on Christians never needing to be alone because of our Savior’s sacrifice for us. The ODB author wrote: Does having a friend nearby make pain more bearable? Researchers at the University of Virginia conducted a fascinating study to answer that question. They wanted to see how the brain reacted to the prospect of pain, and whether it behaved differently if a person faced the threat of pain alone, holding a stranger’s hand, or holding the hand of a close friend. Researchers ran the test on dozens of pairs, and found consistent results. When a person was alone or holding a stranger's hand while anticipating a shock, the regions of the brain that process danger lit up. But when holding the hand of a trusted person, the brain relaxed. The comfort of a friend’s presence made the pain seem more bearable.
Then author Peterson, took her readers to that time in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus felt SO, SO alone, even sweating blood, due to the anxiety of what was ahead for Him on he cross. But His disciples couldn’t even stay awake for an hour to support their Rabbi and pray for Him (see highlight passage). But as Jesus had promised His close friends just a few hours earlier in the Upper Room [see John 14:1], He was about to take that lonely walk to Calvary so that they would never have to walk alone again.
My friends, I hope all who read here today realize that, as the song proclaims, we, born-again believers in King Jesus, will never walk alone in this life [see Heb. 13:5-6], … no matter what trial we face. Our Savior ALWAYS walks with us and is ALWAYS praying for us.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … King Jesus, … my Lord and Savior, … You walk with me and I’m never alone. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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