Loneliness

I'm teaching a small group at my church this weekend... so I thought this would be a good place to publish my ideas.

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First and foremost, I am not the most spiritually developed person. I'm very young, and I know I have a lot of growing ahead of me. When Jason called me and asked me to do a lesson for you guys, my instant reaction was fear. I felt under-qualified! I don't get into the Word nearly as much as I should. Then, God spoke as if he was just waiting for me to say that: "Well here's your opportunity."

I'll be talking today about Loneliness as used by the enemy and our God. I chose this topic mainly because it's something I struggle with on a day to day basis. At times, I can find myself surrounded by people and feel like I'm stuck in solitary confinement. Though it should have been obvious, I talked to my closer friends and determined I was not relying fully on God, or at all in some cases.

Loneliness plays a big part in the Bible. In Psalm 22, David cries out to God when feeling forsaken. In verses 7-8 he notes that others have cried for help and were saved, but he felt as a worm, scorned and despised by the people. In verses 12-18 he continues to cry out his troubles, but in verses 19-24 he says:

"But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scored the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help."

In the midst of his hardship, David relied on his God as the only one that could rescue him, regardless of whether or not he did. We've talked about healing as something God IS, as opposed to something he does for us. Whether or not we receive healing, we know he is our God and our Healer. The same goes for loneliness and spiritual deserts: We are to be still and know that our God is a God that provides in every season. I really like the way this idea is presented in "Desert Song" off of the new Hillsong album. The bridge goes "All of my life, In every season // You are still God // I have a reason to sing // I have a reason to worship." No matter what God wills in our lives, we are to know that he is the only one in control.

Look at Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. He was all alone without food or water. Why was he there? The Holy spirit LED him into a place in his life where he was easily tempted by the enemy. So we know, by this, that loneliness is sometimes brought upon us by God in order set us apart and prepare us for the next stage in his plan. We know that Jesus' only sustenance in this time was the written word, so in these times we MUST rely on scripture when we feel set apart and all alone, because in those times it's easiest to believe the Devil's lies.

I can't talk about loneliness without referring to Job. No one had it tougher in the Old Testament. We know the story: He had everything robbed of him and by remaining faithful, was blessed beyond his original providence. The agony only turned to blessing after Job was done ranting and raving about how bad things were. He still worshiped in the midst of the hardship, but it wasn't until he began to TRUST him and listen, that God moved on Job's behalf.

In closing, we are to follow these three examples in this fashion. First, we must believe that our God IS God, whether or not he acts visibly on our behalf. Secondly, we must rely on the Word when we feel set apart. In addition, we must listen for God to speak instead of whining about how bad things are. Our God loves us, and he hates seeing us hurt, so He'll always be there for us.