Thought for the Day 4.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2: 18.)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41: 10.)

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. (Matthew 28:20).

So, we’re three weeks in. The novelty is, perhaps, wearing off, the reality sinking in. It’s hard not to get discouraged from time to time, when we can’t see our friends and families. Many of us are on our own, self isolating, whilst we wait for the lock down to be lifted.

But there are signs of life and of hope everywhere.

Who cannot have been encouraged and uplifted by the efforts and achievements of Captain Tom Moore, close to his 100^th birthday, who has at the time of writing this, raised upwards of £17 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden in Bedfordshire.

People from 53 countries have donated money – that is astounding. They obviously feel so inspired by this man’s efforts that they have donated money to another country’s health service, in order to show their support for what he is doing! He is a real beacon of hope with his uplifting words this morning, that spoke of us getting through this, as we have other dark times. That the sun would shine again.

His efforts, his desire to help, started in a very small way. He wanted, in his way, to thank those in the NHS who had helped him. And yet it has grown into a massive initiative that has brought people together from different parts of this country and from overseas. During the celebrations on television this morning, Michael Ball was interviewed. He had searched for a song to sing that summed up what Captain Moore had been doing – he sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”; a fitting tribute and a real message to us all.

Now, more than ever before, it is so important that none of us feels alone. We aren’t all in a position to raise £17 million, but we can help to make others feel better. We can make that phone call, contact a friend nearby or maybe one we haven’t seen or spoken to in some time. So many in our villages are already doing so much, it is humbling.

We aren’t meant to live our lives in isolation – we need friends. The truth of that was so evident yesterday, as so many people turned out to pay their respects to Helen Wyles as she was driven through the village. I was very privileged to be part of that and it was enormously moving. All were united – these were Helen’s friends – they could not be with her physically at her funeral, but they were there in spirit and she was not alone as she drove through her beloved Coddenham.

We all struggle at times. However you feel today, whether you’re lonely, sad, anxious for yourself and others, or feeling more positive and hopeful in this glorious sun, remember too that God is always there. He is with you now. And he can provide each of us with the hope and strength we need.

And never forget Jesus’s own words to us which can give us such comfort: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” He will indeed be with us forever.