As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
God Surrounds Us
Perhaps the hardest fear to deal with in life is loneliness. Feeling alone and without help creates a sense of hopelessness. In the midst of loneliness many have considered, and often follow through, taking their own lives. Loneliness is worse than cancer. It is a mental health challenge that faces almost everyone at one time or another. David, the King of Israel, the pride of God, even expressed his loneliness:
Psalms 142:4 (ESV Strong's)
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
Elijah, the great famous prophet of God felt lonely:
1 Kings 18:22 (ESV Strong's)
Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.
Job, the great sufferer for God felt alone (Job 3). Jonah felt alone in the belly of the big fish (Jonah 3). Peter felt alone when he betrayed Christ and Christ had to reassure him of His great love for him (John 21).
In the above passage we read that God surrounds us like the mountains of Jerusalem. You would have to be there to see it, but Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains. This metaphor is used to remind us that God, although unseen, is around us and protects us. We are never really alone. We might not have physical friends in our lives, but God’s great assurance of His pretenses is always there as we look up in faith to Him. Jesus’ last words to His disciples was to leave them a comforter (the Holy Spirit) to be with them and to never leave them or forsake them. That is the comfort we have in Christ. We are never alone and we are surrounded by a God bigger than mountains.
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