On the Western frontier, towns often sprouted up overnight and grew for several years, only to be abandoned almost as quickly as they came into existence.
Sometimes it was gold that drew people to that location in the first place, and when the gold was gone, so were the people.
Sometimes natural disasters, or simply better prospects elsewhere turned a busy community into a village of emptiness.
Today, you can still see some of the ruins of these abandoned towns. You can see homes that were given up to the elements of rain, wind, and time.
Often, as humans, we worry that we will be abandoned like these ghost towns; in fact, sometimes we are sure we have been.
We feel lonely.
We feel the elements of life beating down on us, and we think we are going to crumble.
But God gives us many promises in the Bible that can assure us we will not crumble. We are not alone. As long as you put your trust in God, He will always be there for you.
The Bible says, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Deut. 31:6)
These words were originally spoken by 120 year-old Moses to the people of Israel directly before he gave up his position as their leader. They were still living as nomads in a strange land. They had as much right as anyone to feel forsaken and scared, but Moses assured them that God was still with them, and for them.
You can have this assurance, too, if you believe that Jesus is God's Son, sent to earth to die for your sins and save you. If you put your life into His hands, you will never be alone, abandoned, or forsaken like a ghost town.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (John 6:47)
"Neither is there salvation in any other [than Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
(Photos from Bannack, MT)