Never alone

In seventh grade I didn't have many friends at school. In fact, I had so few friends that sometimes I didn't have anyone to sit with at lunch, no one to talk to while munching on my PB&J. Of course I didn't want to sit in the cafeteria all alone! I was far too embarrassed to be seen without a lunch buddy. So I would eat my lunch back in the teacher's classroom and help her correct papers, away from the on-looking eyes of my peers.
As I grew up I found lunch companionship and the seats around my lunch table were filled with friendly faces. Still, I will never forget those lonely days in middle school when I felt unwanted and abandoned. No one wants to eat lunch alone. Everyone wants a friend. Everyone wants a companion who they can talk to and laugh with.
Have you ever felt like I did, alone and without a friend in the world?
Can I let you in on a little secret?
You aren't alone.
Even if your lunch table is completely empty and you are digging into the contents of your brown bag amid a grouping of friendless chairs, you do have a companion that longs to chat with you. His name is Jesus.
Jesus is always near to us and we can talk to Him anytime, anywhere. He longs to communicate with us because He loves us! When we call on His name and pray, our God in Heaven hears us and listens to all we have to say. Psalm 145:18 actually tells us that, "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." You and I can have the presence of the Lord with us when we pray to Him, calling on His name. Isn't that a wonderful promise? Jesus can enter into our cafeteria at school, bedroom at home, sanctuary at church or anywhere that we call on His name!
How can we experience this presence of God? By coming to Him in prayer and asking Him to be our constant companion. Matthew 7:7 promises that by praying to God and seeking His company we are sure to have the door opened for us. The scripture says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." When we pray to God and ask Him to take a seat with us at lunch He will always come and pull up a chair.
You and I, God's beloved children, have a friend who never fails us. We always have someone to talk to who longs to hear our voice and listen to our prayers and praise. We don't need to be in a big crowd or seated at a table full of people to have a faithful friend. We have a unchanging, reliable, constant companion. His name is Jesus and He is only a prayer away.