Christianity stands out among all other religions because of its personal God.  In Hinduism, the divine is ultimately “Brahman,” the Absolute as it is sometimes called, an impersonal force of which all creation is a part.  Buddhists don’t really have a God.  Their goal is Nirvana, which is not a ceasing to exist, they say, but freedom from personality, which for most of us is pretty close to annihilation.  Jews and Muslims worship a personal God, but only Christians worship a God who visited our world and lived with us, laughed with us, suffered with us, cried with us, and died for us.

Not only do we worship a personal God, but our God is Triune, three persons in one.  There is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The latter of these three is often misunderstood as a mysterious “it,” an impersonal force used by God to exert his influence on the world.  But the Bible speaks of his various traits (Rom. 15:30; 1 Cor. 2:11; 12:11; Eph. 4:30), uses masculine pronouns when referring to him (Jn. 14:26; 16:13), and speaks of the special role he plays in our salvation (Jn. 14:26; 15:26; Acts 16:6-7; 2 Thes. 2:13).

Since there are three divine persons, we know that God has never been alone.  He is a social being whose interest is in others and who rejoices in companionship.  How else can we explain Jesus’s amazing demeanor as his disciples deserted him on the lonely road to Calvary?  “Behold the hour is coming,” he said, “indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.  Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me” (Jn. 16:32).  George Lamsa’s translation reads, “I am never alone.”

God seeks a relationship with his creation, too.  Be reconciled to him (2 Cor. 5:21).  Walk with him, converse with him in prayer.  Hardships may come and earthly friends and family members may desert you.  But there is no need for despair.  God says, “I will never leave you” (Heb. 13:5).  That is when you can say with Christ, “I am never alone.”