Gravity tells the story of Dr. Ryan Stone—a brilliant biomedical engineer on her first space shuttle mission. Her partner for the journey is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. During a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other, and ominously spiraling out into blackness.

The movie’s stunning visuals enable us to experience outer space in a realistic but profoundly frightening way. We feel the cold, uninhabited, absolute nothingness of it all. Outer space is inky darkness. No oxygen. No signs of life. And as we watch Gravity, we feel what it’s like to be abandoned, isolated, and alone in the dark.

David was a man familiar with feelings of isolation. As a shepherd boy, he was often out in the dark wilderness alone, tending the flock. Later, as a fugitive seeking refuge from his enemies, David experienced abandonment in deep, dark caves (1 Samuel 24:3; 2 Samuel 23:13).

Yet David knew he could never really be alone. God was always with him. He wrote, “I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8). There wasn’t a place where God was absent.

In life, we can often experience the sting and pain of loneliness. Sometimes it’s brought about by our unwise choice of isolation. Other times, broken relationships can lead us to feel alone and unwanted. During these times, may we turn to God and experience His loving presence. As David wrote, “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head” (Psalm 139:5). The darkness of loneliness can be replaced by the light of God’s presence!

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 19:1-27