Release Day!
You Are Not Alone: 40 Devotions Embracing God’s Nearness is now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle! As a thank-you to all who faithfully read each of my Heart 2 Heart blogs, I’m including the first chapter of You Are Not Alone below. I hope these words remind you how much you are loved by God.
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You Matter To Him
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
I stood on the hundredth floor of a beautiful New York skyscraper. The city stretched beneath me. Offices, apartment buildings, churches, historical landmarks, and businesses extended in every direction. Narrow streets with miniature vehicles were the only spaces between structures.
I thought about all the people inside those buildings. Coming from a town of thirty-one thousand, how could I comprehend the millions within a few miles of me? As I gazed over the city, God stirred my heart with the wonder of his perspective.
He sees the millions of people in New York City, along with those in Shanghai, New Delhi, Lagos, Tehran, and every other place on earth. Yet humanity is not a faceless mass to him. He knows each person because he not only sees the millions, he sees the one in the millions. The one matters to him.
Thirty-four hundred years ago, a woman named Rahab made her home in the city of Jericho. Rahab was a prostitute living in a culture of idol worship. But when she heard news of God’s mighty works on behalf of the nation Israel, she placed her faith in him alone. She declared “for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11).
In a city filled with people, God reached down to Rahab in her need. He heard her cry of faith. When the Israelites destroyed Jericho, God spared Rahab and her family. The Israelites brought her out to live among them, and she is even in the lineage of the Messiah. God delivered her from a life of brokenness and brought her into a relationship with him.
Rahab had worth to God. So do you. In our world of mega cities and mass communication, one sometimes doesn’t seem to matter. But God operates on a different economy. He seeks the one.
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God’s love extends to the whole world, but whoever trusts his Son will have eternal life. He sees us and seeks us as individuals.
Do you feel invisible? Overlooked or insignificant? Lost in the crowd? Take courage. The powerful God of the universe numbers the steps you take and the hairs on your head. He catches your tears and calls you by name. When you are weighed down with worry, you can cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
God sees the one in the millions. He sees you, and you matter to him.
Remember ~ If the world looks past you (or through you), take comfort. God numbers your steps. He catches your tears and calls you by name. He sees you, and you matter to him.
Refresh ~ Visit a sidewalk café and watch the people strolling by. Meditate on the truth of God’s love for each person, including you!
Renew ~ Read Psalm 121. How do these verses encourage you as you think about your worth in God’s eyes?
Respond ~ Lord, I stand in awe of your amazing power and compassionate care. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
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I hope you enjoyed this excerpt! And if you’d like to read more, you’ll find 39 additional devotions just waiting for you in my book! May God bless you as you embrace His nearness.
*This chapter is excerpted from You Are Not Alone: 40 Devotions Embracing God’s Nearness © 2026 by Kim Teague. Used by permission of Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. Further distribution is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher.
