Prayers Answered in the Wounds of Christ
Hold Me!
Psalm 27:7-10

† I.H.S †

May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ convince you of this, that you will never, ever be completely abandoned!  For The Lord loves you!

 The Fear of Abandonment

 It is among the greatest of fears, the greatest sources of anxiety.  It’s symptoms include anxiety, chronic feelings of insecurity, depression, esteem issues,, a feeling of no control self-depreciation ( I am not worth it!) isolation, or behaviors which are negative to us, to appease those we feel we cannot lose.

It is the fear of abandonment, and it is becoming more and more prevalent.

Its cause is not rational, it is not even a conscious thought, but there is something within us that convinces us that we are not appreciated, that we are not cared for, that we are neither loved, or lovable.

Even though we know better, the anxiety, the fear is there, knowing away at us, paralyzing us, or driving us into sin, so that we can minimize the pain we except.

And our hope is seen in the background of the slides, in the scars and wounds of the man who was the loneliest in all of history, as he was laid out on the cross.

Separation

I think Abandonment is why we fear death, and why we fear to get older.  Ultimately, we don’t want to be alone, we don’t want to be separated from those we love.  That is why some people will stay in an abusive relationship, or fear to work on damaged ones, because of the risk of being abandoned.  It is why we will willingly embrace sin, otherwise, people might reject us.  So we join them in their sin, in their negative behaviors.  We tell ourselves that the pain and consequences are okay… at least we aren’t alone.   Or we numb ourselves with behaviors that distract us, that gives us a break from the loneliness.  A warm body is better than nobody, right?

Sin does its damage as well driving a wedge deeper and deeper between us, trying to pry us even away from God.  It’s pain causing us to believe we are broken beyond us, beyond meaning,

The answer

The Psalm Al read before had significant meaning to me.  Especially this verse,

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.

Even if the people who are supposed to care for you more than anyone else abandon you, God hasn’t. He holds you close.  In other places, Jesus talks about gathering us to Himself, as a hen gathers her chicks un her arms.  He talks about the Father running out to the prodigal joyously greeting Him with a bone-crushing hug. He talks of uniting us to Him in baptism, all of these examples to help us realize that He has us, that we are His, in death, and in heaven afterward.

As we’ve heard the wounds of Christ answer our prayers, our pleas for help, I want you to hear these words we sang of Jesus love again, this time brought into our language, where it becomes clear, this is not just our prayer, it is His answer

Here I will stand beside Thee,

From Thee I will not part!

O Savior, do not chide me!
When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish
In death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish,
Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
Paul tells us we are united to Christ in His death, and as the power of God raised Him from the dead, we rose, united to Him.  And He promises never, ever to abandon us.  We are His, His beloved children, His beloved people, and He went to the extent of Christ’s death to make sure of this.

You will never be abandoned, you will never be alone Jesus promised!  The Spirit dwells within you.  This isn’t just theology, it is the reality, as you will be reminded when Jesus gives you His body and blood to eat, to drink, knowing it is for you, because He loves you.

You are His… therefore you will never be alone.  So relax, look to Him, and know His peace.  For you are safe in that peace, protected by our Lord Himself.