There is nothing worse than feeling totally alone. Even though surrounded by others, this feeling can happen in the dentist’s chair, in the operating room, when locked out of your car or house, when your smartphone falls into the river, or when you cannot sleep. There is comfort only when someone is there and focused on what you are feeling as you face the current predicament. Someone to say, “I am here and I care,” “You are not alone,” or “I’m here for the count.” The Someone Who can say those things without wavering is the Lord God.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Predicaments might not be erased, but the comfort of God’s presence and understanding makes bad things endurable. The presence of the caring Someone, Creator God, softens the sharp edges of feelings of abandonment. Humans were never meant to walk alone. From the Beginning, God has always made sure that His presence is a gift to be freely given, the path of finding true life, a heavenly comfort beyond anything earthly, and a firm opposition to our feelings of aloneness. We were designed to live in fellowship with Him.

The circumstances of prolonged infertility may not give way to new life except only in the heart of the potential mother who desires the presence of the Lord more than successful conception and pregnancy. When asked, God is present to help deepen the desire for Him through faith. The desire for motherhood may never actually lessen, but the desire for God will become stronger.

The hideousness of pregnancy or infant loss is a mountain that cannot be conquered, but is also a mountain made breathable in the steadfast company of the Lord and those true friends He sends to us to care for us. True presence is a lifeline to those sitting in the despair of loneliness and loss. Not presence filled with platitudes, words, or verses, but presence that is committed to sitting in the same space with you for as long as you need. The only trustworthy Presence is the personal Lord Himself Who often chooses to send actual people your way to sit in that same space by His grace.

The path of life is never to do tremendous grieving alone. Shared presence may not alleviate the depth of felt losses, but it will provide a measure of comfort and strength not found any other way. I pray that God sends you His gift of Presence today and faithful others who will support you well with their presence and compassion. This is the path of life: Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!”

Psalm 21:6 says, “For You make him most blessed forever; You make him glad with the joy of Your presence.”