Where God Was All Along - Encouragement for Today - September 24, 2026
Encouragement for Today
Audio By Carbonatix
Crosswalk.com
September 24, 2026
Where God Was All Along
Meredith Brock
“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me” (Psalm 139:5, ESV).
My car is usually packed with multiple children, but by some unusual turn of events, I ended up driving alone on this particular day. I had recently received a hard text message from a family member, and the thought of it kept nipping at the back of my mind whenever things grew silent. Questions I had asked since childhood, questions I thought I had long since settled, came flooding back in.
Why did they leave?
Why didn’t they choose me?
Did they even care about me at all?
Abandonment left a deep wound in my heart that had healed, but the scar was sensitive and easily broken open.
It had been many years since I let myself ask these questions, let alone feel the weight of the emotions that come with them. As I drove, tears fell, and a prayer slipped from my mouth: Why, Lord? Why didn’t they choose me? Where were You all that time?
In that quiet moment, the truth of Psalm 139:1-2 came to mind:
“O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar” (ESV).
In Psalm 139:5, the scriptures continue, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.”
This biblical Truth washed over me: I was never alone. God had hemmed me in. He was in front of me and behind me, and His hand was on me. A person had abandoned me, but God never did and never will.
I grieved the loss of that person. I wanted them to be present in my life and to want me. But more than I wanted that, I needed God's perfect love and presence in my life. So I let the tears fall, knowing my heavenly Father saw and cared about each one and would stitch up this wound once again. By His grace, He would use it to help heal others’ wounds too.
As the CEO of Proverbs 31 Ministries, that’s my prayer for you, and it's the prayer of all of us here at Proverbs 31 Ministries. We want all women to know the Truth of God’s Word so that, in moments of pain or triumph, it would come to mind and comfort you. But even more so, we pray that you would learn to live it out, apply it to the wounds in your life, and see it change you and those around you for the glory of God and the expansion of His Kingdom.
We are praying this for you today.
Lord, thank You for the promises in Your Word. Thank You for the woman reading this today. Please meet her right where she is — whether that’s in the middle of heartbreak or in the grind of mundane tasks — and show her that You are with her, that she matters so much to You, and that You are working in and through her. Wash over her with Your love and the hope that is found only in the gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 139:7-12, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (ESV).
What Scripture verse or passage has uplifted you during a time when you desperately needed hope and encouragement? How has that truth changed your perspective about a painful situation? Share with us in the comments!
© 2026 by Meredith Brock. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
