I recently was visiting with an acquaintance who came to me for advice. She was on a path in a relationship that I could see was going to lead her into heartache. I tried to plead with her to wait, to deny herself for the moment in order to gain a greater joy in obedience later. Her response to my counsel pulled me up short. She said bluntly, "What would you know about loneliness?"
I wanted to cry. I wanted to make her a list of the ways I've know loneliness. Anyone who's ever been a leader or married one knows the isolation that comes with it at times. Many things cause loneliness. We can even feel alone surrounded by a crowd. I think of the widow, the orphan, the divorced, the shunned, the betrayed, the ill, the poor, the rich, the famous, the obscured, the new kid, the grieving, the exhausted, the misunderstood. Who is there who has never tasted the bitterness of loneliness?
Even the Lord Jesus was no stranger to this feeling. He felt it fasting in the wilderness, praying in the garden, and hanging on the cross. My word to you today is the same one I had for her that day. You may feel alone. You may think the darkness will swallow you at times. You may hear the voice of the enemy in the silence. But you are NOT alone. Refuse to let it overwhelm you. Refuse to fill the void with despair or sin or cheap substitutes. Run to the Lover of you soul. Listen to the words of David: "Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."(Psalm 73:23-28 ESV)
Loneliness is part of life on this fallen planet. It is a reminder that this is not our home or our final destination. It stimulates us to long for glory and completion. I'll close with a link to a song that has come to be such a hiding place for me. It is a prayer of faith and ends with the singer placing her heart in a position of worship, looking away from the troubles of this life and into the throneroom. Look to the God who loves you and will never leave you.
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Posted by: Asheville Network | 03/16/2012 at 07:49 AM