June 27, 2023 8:00 pm
At 7 p.m., Hui-Liang was in his kitchen, eating rice and leftover fish balls. The Chua family in the apartment next door was having dinner too, and their laughter and conversation cut through the silence of Hui-Liang’s unit, where he’d lived alone since his wife died. He’d learned to live with loneliness; over the years, its stabbing pain had become a dull ache. But tonight, the sight of the one bowl and pair of chopsticks on his table pierced him deeply.
Before he went to bed that night, Hui-Liang read Psalm 23, his favorite psalm. The words that mattered to him were only four syllables: “You are with me” (v. 4). More than the shepherd’s practical acts of care toward the sheep, it was his steadfast presence and loving gaze over every detail of the life of the sheep (vv. 2−5) that gave Hui-Liang peace.
Just knowing that someone is there, that someone is with us, brings great comfort in those lonely moments. God promises His children that His love will always be with us (Psalm 103:17), and that He’ll never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). When we feel alone and unseen—whether in a quiet kitchen, on the bus going home from work, or even in a crowded supermarket—we can know that the Shepherd’s gaze is always on us. We can say, “You are with me.”
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled When You're Lonely was written by Karen Huang. At 7 p.m., Wei Yang was in his kitchen eating rice and leftover fish balls. The Hua family in the apartment next door was having dinner too, and their laughter and conversation cut through the silence of Wei Yang's unit where he had lived alone since his wife died. He'd learned to live with loneliness.
Over the years, its stabbing pain had become a dull ache. But tonight, the sight of the one bowl and pair of chopsticks on his table pierced him deeply. Before he went to bed that night, Wei Yang read Psalm 23, his favorite Psalm. The words that mattered most to him are only four syllables. You are with me. More than the shepherd's practical acts of care toward the sheep, it was his steadfast presence and loving gaze over every detail of the life of the sheep that gave Wei Yang peace. Just knowing that someone is there, that someone is with us, brings great comfort in those lonely moments. God promises his children that his love will always be with us and that he'll never leave us. When we feel alone and unseen, whether in a quiet kitchen, on the bus going home from work, or even in a crowded supermarket, we can know that the shepherd's gaze is always on us.
We can say, you are with me. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd.
I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows. Surely, your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let's pray. Loving Father, thank you for always being with us, even in our loneliest moments and seasons. We pray that you would comfort those who are feeling alone today and fill them with your love and peace. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Joyce Dinkins, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-06-27 21:16:23 / 2023-06-27 21:17:57 / 2
