“Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

We adopted a dog during the pandemic. A lot of people did, I guess. It happened to be really good timing for us as our previous dog had died a few years earlier and we were finally ready for someone new.

We got Rocky from the local Humane Society. He was about two years old and had been wandering alone in the desert, hungry enough to be eating rocks. (Hence his name, Rocky.) He was also scraped up as if he’d been attacked by other dogs, poor thing. He was in rough shape.

You never know what you’re going to get when you adopt a dog. Happily, Rocky has bounced back brilliantly from his rough start. He is a happy dog who loves going for walks and playing in our backyard — once we taught him how to do those things. He’s a gentle soul who loves to snuggle. He’s gotten over a lot of anxiety that he had around strange places and loud noises. He still has some anxiety but has safe places in our house he can comfortably sequester.

We were really fortunate that although Rocky has some anxiety, being left alone does not seem to contribute to his fears. He does not suffer from separation anxiety which many dogs, pack animals by nature, do.

Humans suffer separation anxiety too. Prolonged solitary confinement is considered torture. Nelson Mandela described solitary confinement as “the most forbidding aspect of prison life.” The United Nations forbids solitary confinement longer than 15 days.

That is why today’s verse is so comforting. God promises that I never have to be totally alone. He is always with me, ready to provide strength, encouragement, protection, guidance, comfort… whatever I might need. There is no place I can go where God can’t find me. I can be trapped at the bottom of a deep well or lost in an underground cavern, and God is there with the light of His love. I can be on a stage in front of thousands expected to speak or perform, and God is there with His peace. I can travel to a jungle or a mountaintop or a desert or a different planet, and God will be there before I arrive, waiting for me with the same joy and majesty that I know when I meet Him at home.

Dear God,

Thank you for the beautiful, miraculous gift of your presence. I’m so relieved that you are everywhere. I never have to be afraid to go anywhere because you are always there first, preparing the way for me when I trust you.