12/20/2022
There are times when we will feel alone in our faith, and even among our brothers and sister in Christ we will feel this way. In these times we will be separated, and walk alone with God, or Jesus Christ. As we read the Bible stories regarding the great men of God we find that at some point in each of their lives of faith they were separated, and sent into isolation. But, in our time in the desert, on the mountain, in prisons, or banished to Patmos, we are never truly alone. We are with God, and in these seemingly lonely places He has our undivided attention. Do we know what it is like to be alone with God? Even in a crowd of people have we felt isolated from the world, and in such times didn’t He come to us? Hasn’t Jesus met us on the road to Emmaus and walked us through the scripture? Was His presence enough for us?
“Behold, the hour is coming, 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.”
John 16:32 ESV
Even Jesus experienced separation.
I know a man who lost a son; he had laid down his life for another and was killed violently. Then I watched this father suffer. Though surrounded by many who loved him, prayed for him, and mourned with him, he still seemed to mourn alone… but in this desert Jesus came to Him, and in the valley of his grief God mourned with him. He was separated in his sorrow, but was never left alone. In his lonely separation He learned the true depth of his faith, and the meaning of the 23rd Psalm when it says…
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 ESV
Sometimes we read a scripture over and over again, but never experience it’s depth until we sit alone and hear Jesus speak the words to us. Sometimes we find that although we thought we knew who God was, it wasn’t until we were alone with Him that we came to understand Him more fully. Have we ever experienced this in our individual lives? If not, there will come a day when we will. God is love, and If we too have learned to love then we will eventually experience heartbreak. God is good, and if we know goodness then we will be scourged by something bad in our lives. And, God is truth, so if we too are truthful we will eventually be cut to the bone by a lie. Any of these things can send us into isolation, and we will find ourselves alone with God, or on the road to Emmaus with Jesus.
“They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””
Luke 24:32 ESV
There is no doubt that there will be times in our lives when we will be alone and separated from those around us in some way. We might be separated physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or in one of a million other ways, but however that loneliness comes God never abandons us, Jesus continued to speak to us, and the Holy Spirit still groans within us. In our alone time with them we will become intimate, and will be comforted by them. In our alone time we will find a new depth of faith, and sometimes, our hearts will burn within us as the scales fall from our eyes.
“And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.”
Acts 9:18-19 ESV
Today, whether we are preparing for a solitary trip into a wilderness, or currently in a lonely place of isolation, it is good to understand that these are not places where we will be left alone. John was banished to Patmos by man, but in that place he was with God. Moses went alone onto the mountain, but there too was God. Samson was blinded and put in prison, yet there God was with him, and the disciples who travelled the road to Emmaus in utter disappointment found that Jesus met them there as well… in every instance the faith of these men was increased, or rekindled. So when we find ourselves feeling alone in a crowd, or separated from others, it is good to know that we too are not alone, and are not there without God having a purpose in our walk alone with Him.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for every moment in which we feel alone, and yet find that you are with us. Thank you for the suffering in our lives that separates us from those around us, but opens our eyes wide to your presence. Thank you Lord for walking with us in the desolate places of the world, and the lonely places that our spirits find themselves in. Great are you who reveals Himself to us in these intimate times, and is sufficient for us when all else in life and spirit has abandoned us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who opens the prison gates of death, and redeems the sin of the world. Praised be your name for freeing us from our loneliness, and ushering us once more into the joy and peace of the saints. Mighty are you who finds us when we believe ourselves to be lost, and defeats the enemy that has imprisoned us in dark and lonely places. Merciful are you who heals our wounds, and gives us sight where once we had been blind. Your grace is sufficient for us Father, and we shout in praise with all those in heaven who cry out Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is forevermore. We pray that in judgement you will find us together in Christ, and made worthy in Him alone. If we have nothing but you within ourselves, Jesus to walk the way with, or your Holy Spirit to kneel with in prayer, we will never be lonely, and will be filled with joy forevermore. This is the alone time we desire, and the company we wish to spend eternity in.
Rich Forbes