Remember these truths as you go about your day, and don't neglect to praise God for being on your side. He loves you and wants the best for your life. Even if everyone around you is against you, God is forever on your side.
"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." - Psalm 22:1-6
Psalm 23 is a beautiful Psalm to reflect on when we are feeling alone, hurt, or betrayed. When no one is on our side, we should open our Bibles to Psalm 23. It's one of my favorite Psalms in the Bible, as it has brought me great comfort many times throughout my Christian walk. It helps to remind us that through every hill and valley, Jesus is walking by our side (Psalm 23:4).
God is always on our side.
Within Psalm 23, we are reminded that God is on our side. David wrote Psalm 23, and he was knowledgeable about how much God cared about him. Just as God cared about David, He also cares about us. David tells us that God led him beside quiet waters and refreshed his soul (Psalm 23:2-3). Similarly, just as God refreshed David's soul, He will also refresh our souls. David wrote this Psalm to proclaim the ways God had been there for him and will also be there for us!
The same things God did for David, He does for us. When David said he would fear no evil because God was with him, we can say the same (Psalm 23:4b). God is always walking beside us and on our side. Others might abandon and leave us, but God never will. He is always on our side, and that will never change. People float in and out of our lives, yet God always stays.
Maybe you have known friends or family members who never seem to be on your side. I feel this is common because even when we grow to be adults, many will not be on our side. Rather than being there for us, they choose to leave and speak harshly against us. When loved ones choose not to be on your side, it is important to remember God is. Remembering this truth can help you continue your day and be encouraged.
Let go of those who aren't on your side.
I used to know a person in college who claimed to be my friend but later turned out to be anything but. I trusted her with many important details about my life, including a family situation I had been struggling with. Rather than being on my side and being a good friend, she really hurt me. As I have mentioned in previous articles, I have struggled with anorexia, depression, and anxiety for over a decade, and I shared this information with her. She also disclosed her own eating disorder but claimed she was healed even though you could see clearly; she wasn't.
Nonetheless, I thought she was somebody I could talk to about my struggles, but she wasn't. After I had truly entered recovery and gained weight, she said many hurtful things to me. In her mind, she didn't see anything wrong with what she was doing, but she was oblivious to the hurt she was causing me and continues to be. She is so infatuated with her own eating disorder and engaging in these bad behaviors to ever be on my side of recovery. I had thought this person would always be on my side, but now we don't ever talk, and simply thinking about her hurts me.
Some will choose not to be on your side. These people tend to hurt us the deepest and cause the most damage to our hearts. Maybe you have had your own experience of someone not being on your side when you thought they would always be on your side. Perhaps a parent wasn't on your side, or your spouse wasn't on your side. These things can be hurtful and can tear down a relationship rather quickly. It can also make you feel bad about yourself–as though you are not good enough for someone to be on your side.
As someone who has been there a lot, you are good enough to have people on your side. God is always on your side and never walks away from you (Psalm 23). He will lead you beside quiet waters and fill your heart with love. Others will hurt and abandon us, but God will never do these things to us. God is one hundred percent love, and we can count on Him to always stay on our side.
God is always on your side.
It can be discouraging at times to know that others aren't on our side; however, the One we truly want on our side is God. Everything is ultimately within His control, and nothing happens without His approval. If we have God on our side, we can effectively cope when others are not. While having our loved ones on our side is nice, sometimes it is not reasonable. At these times, we need to remember God is on our side. He loves us unconditionally and Stands right beside us through every storm.
While it is important to remember God is always on our side, aligning ourselves with Him is also important! To be on God's side means proclaiming His name and following Him. The world has many mean things to say about God and tries to persuade us not to follow Him, yet we must stay on God's side. We should never take the side of the world because- that is Satan's side. Our allegiance and entire lives must be centered on God–not the things of this world. The things of this world will pass away, but God will remain forever.
If we choose to stand with the world, we will be condemned with the world. The world is full of things that go against God. Rather than following God, if you choose to be on the side of the world, you will be following evil. The things of the world tempt us to do wrong and are under the devil's control. This is why we need to stand on God's side and never forsake Him, either.
Remember these truths as you go about your day, and don't neglect to praise God for being on your side. He loves you and wants the best for your life. Even if everyone around you is against you, God is forever on your side. He will never leave your side, nor will He abandon you. In the same way, make sure you remain on His side and follow, obey, and praise Him. It is a true blessing to know God is always on our side.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/maki_shmaki
