07/22/2023
Are we prepared to walk in the desert? Can we tolerate the feeling of loneliness that will test us there? When there is nothing left in our lives except our thoughts and God, will we find that to be sufficient, and that we are prepared to join Him in this solitary life? Will we accept sanctification in Christ just as His apostles did? These are questions to consider regarding our being alone with God, and the sanctity that results from it.
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 KJV
Yesterday I read an interesting devotional message (IN TOUCH: Daily Readings for Devoted Living) and the subject of it was loneliness. The author wrote of Jacob, Elijah, and Jesus who were all put to the test of loneliness. One wrestled an angel alone (Jacob),
“And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Genesis 32:30 KJV
one was alone on Mt, Sinai (Elijah),
“And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
1 Kings 19:14 KJV
And Jesus prayed alone in the Garden of Gethsemane as his apostles slept.
“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”
Matthew 26:40 KJV
In each case they were tried by loneliness and led to a discovery or exploration of the depth of their faith in God. When we are alone, we find ourselves facing this trial as well… there is nowhere to turn but to God... it is either Him, or towards our own selves and a self-imposed insanity. However, for those of faith... there is always God to comfort us.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 KJV
In every situation in which we perceive ourselves to be alone and abandoned, God is with us. I read a personal account that Senator John McCain gave of his captivity during the Vietnam war. He found comfort while being separated from the other prisoners through prayer... here is what he said:
"I was finding that prayer helped. It wasn't a question of asking for superhuman strength or for God to strike the North Vietnamese dead. It was asking for moral and physical courage, for guidance and wisdom to do the right thing. I asked for comfort when I was in pain, and sometimes I received relief. I was sustained in many times of trial." (U.S. News and World Report)
When we find ourselves alone against the world, or just alone and still in our lives... there is always God. John McCain learned this during his captivity; it was his personal trial of loneliness.
“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. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:6-8 KJV
So we are never alone, and we are sanctified by finding God while facing conditions of loneliness. Oswald Chambers spoke further of this phenomena. He writes of what it is like to be alone with God, and to be willing to surrender everything to Him... including our life.
"The Spirit of God in the process of sanctification will strip me until I am nothing but ‘myself’, that is the place of death. Am I willing to be ‘myself’, and nothing more—no friends, no father, no brother, no self-interest— simply ready for death? That is the condition of sanctification." - Oswald Chambers
Jesus was sanctified, and holy to the point of surrendering His life. It was an unnatural act for the part of Him that was totally man, but acceptable to the part that was completely God. We are not discussing suicide here because that is a sin, no, we are talking about yielding our life to God’s will. We don’t escape from loneliness by taking our life; no, we escape from it by realizing that God is with us, and finding sanctification in Christ. Oswald defines this sanctification in these words...
"When I pray—‘Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,’ He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus Christ puts into me: it is Himself in me." - Oswald Chambers
As we find ourselves alone, even alone in a crowd of people, among our captors, or with Christian brothers who have not yet faced such a trial, we should look to God and pray for His Son to fill us. We need to find Him amidst the wind, and the quaking... and by hearing in His small still voice the words... "I am always with you."
Are we ready for this trial in the desert? Are we ready to surrender ourselves to being filled to the brim with Jesus? Are we there now, and in the midst of discovering our own sanctification in one of life’s many lonely deserts?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for separating me to yourself, and showing me the truth regarding my loneliness. In my time of feeling alone I thank you for revealing yourself to me, and filling me with your Son Jesus who sanctifies me. In my isolation I am free from the distractions that surround me; I find you easily, and hear your voice clearly; small and still it roars above the quiet that surrounds me. In the peace of my separation I find you, and in that discovery my faith takes to wing and soars above all. I praise your name Lord, and sing aloud in the desert to the accompaniment of no other. You said it was not good for man to be alone, and I have come to realize that this is true, but in you I find all the harmony and accompaniment that I need. In you I am complete.
“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
Colossians 2:10 KJV
Rich Forbes