Max Lucado - You Are Never Alone
Summary:
Max Lucado introduces his upcoming book and teaching series «You Are Never Alone,» born out of the quarantine, emphasizing that Jesus' miracles in the Gospel of John reveal a God who deeply cares and is always present in our pain and isolation. Amid a loneliness epidemic worsened by the pandemic, these signs point to Christ’s tender presence and power, assuring us that God steps into our messes to lift us out. The core message is that as God’s beloved children, we are truly never alone, with a heavenly Father nearer and stronger than we realize.
Greeting and Book Preview
Well, God bless you today, from my home to yours. May He give you strength. May He lift your heart. However you are. Hi friends, I’m Max Lucado, and I wanted to give you an early preview of a book that I’ll be teaching on in September. It’s called «You Are Never Alone.» You are never alone.
This book is a child of the quarantine; I completed it during the days of Coronavirus. You know, when I began writing it some, I don’t know, several months ago, COVID-19 was unknown to most of us. Phrases like social distancing and shelter in place may have been found in manuals, but boy, they were not in our street vocabulary.
The Rise of Isolation
But that’s all changed. That’s all changed. As of today, millions of people are still afraid to go out; they’re hunkered and bunkered in apartments, in houses, even in huts and cabins. This crisis exacerbated an already rampant epidemic of isolation and depression.
Administrators of one of the largest hospitals in America cite, believe it or not, loneliness as a major reason for overcrowded emergency rooms. Parkland Hospital of Dallas, Texas, made this startling discovery. They were looking for ways to unclog their system, and they found that the number one determinant for repeat visits to the ER was, guess what? A sense of loneliness.
The Need for Care
The ER provided attention, kindness, and care; hence the multiple return visits. These patients wanted to know that someone cares. Don’t we all? Don’t we all? That’s why we’re going to spend some time exploring the miracles of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.
The Apostle John wanted us to believe that someone cares. He wanted us to set our weight fully upon the strength of this loving God. He wanted us to know, you’re never alone. So John selects for his gospel a series or a section of signs—these miracles—and these miracles run the gamut from a wedding oversight to a violent execution, from empty bellies to empty dreams, from abandoned hopes to buried friends.
Miracles as Signs of God’s Presence
We’re going to study these, and we’re going to be careful—oh, so careful—to see the signs as John designed them to be seen, not as entries in a book or fun Sunday school stories. No, no, no! These are not just romantic fables or some somewhere-over-the-rainbow illusions, but these are real moments in history in which a real God met real pain.
So we could answer the question, where is God when I hurt? All these events stand together as one voice—one voice—calling on you, calling on me to lift our eyes, to open our hearts to the possibility, indeed the reality, that the greatest force in the universe is one who means you well and brings you hope.
The Message of the Miracles
John recorded these miracles not to impress us, but to urge us to believe in the tender presence and mighty power of Christ. This montage of miracles proclaims, God’s got this, and God can carry you through any difficult circumstance. My friend, you’re stronger than you think because God is nearer than you know.
These miracles remind us that when we struggle, God listens. When we yearn, He responds. When we question, He hears. There was a message in His miracles. These messages come at us, Jesus saying, I am here; I care.
A Walk with Rosie and Andy
You know, one day not too long ago, I went on a walk with two of my best companions: my three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Rosie, and my faithful, steadfast mutt of a dog, Andy. Andy loves to explore a dry riverbed near our house, and Rosie well, she loves to follow right behind him.
She thinks she’s pretty independent and that she can go wherever he goes. When I offer to help her, she waves me away. She’s a handful, this girl—kind of like her grandmother. So Andy led the way, Rosie scampered behind, and I tried to keep up.
Rescue in the Thickets
Andy spotted a critter in a thicket of bushes, and he dashed—I mean dashed—right into the middle of the bushes. Rosie thought she could do the same. Andy ran straight through, but Rosie, she got stuck. The branches scratched her skin, and she began to cry, «Papa Max! Papa Max! Will you help me?»
Well, what did I do? I did what you would have done—I stepped right into the thickets, and I extended my hands. She raised her arms, and she let me lift her out. You are God’s child, so don’t you think He’ll do the same for you?
Children of a Loving Father
The Bible tells us that the Father has loved us so much—so much—that we are called children of God, and we really are His children (1 John 3:1). It is as if John knew some of us would shake our heads and say, «Nah, not me, not me. Mother Teresa? Maybe. Billy Graham? Okay. But not me.»
Now, if those are your feelings, John added that phrase for you: «We really are His children, » and you have a loving heavenly Father who will meet you in the midst of life’s mess. You have a living, loving, miracle-working God who won’t think twice about stepping into the thorny thickets of your world to lift you out.
Never Alone
You—yes, you, my friend—you’re never without hope. You’re never without help because you’re never alone. I hope you’ll join me in September for the teachings through John’s Gospel and in the study of «You Are Never Alone.»
We should—we need this reassurance today. We need it, do we not, that God is closer than we can ever imagine? May you receive that assurance. May you be blessed. Lord, I pray for all who hear these words. May they sense Your abiding, healing, and loving presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.