Alone Places

One of the most comforting verses is found in Isaiah 41:10. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (NIV).

To the lonely God says, "You are not alone because I am with you." To the downcast and depressed God says, "I will uphold you." And to the weak He says, "I'm your strength."

When I remind myself that God is real - an ever present help in times of trouble it causes me to see things differently. And it makes me believe differently - through the eyes of faith. Yes, the deadlines at work are stressful but it loses its vice grip on my mind.

The Holy Spirit helps me to zoom out like a camera to see the bigger picture. God is at work regardless to my condition or state of mind. He is using these trying moments for my good. I may feel alone and disconnected but in these times His desire is the strongest to draw me to His side.

Beloved, loneliness does not mean the lack of meaningful relationships. In fact I believe some of the most lonely people may be those who have many friends but all the while their heart's need for true connection remains unsatisfied that only God can meet.

Think of the Lord who was surrounded by thousands and had a close knit circle of disciples but it says He withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16).

Here in this passage Jesus is revealing to us a precious secret.

Rather than letting loneliness drive us we should use it to press into an intimate space of prayer. Yes, our culture would offer any number of options to bring a measure of comfort from social gatherings to various social media outlets. Even Christians offer alternatives to ease the loneliness but sadly prayer is the last on the list.

I am not saying become a recluse or isolate yourself from all human contact - we are to stay connected to the community of believers - but take those lonely moments to get alone with God.

And there in that alone place you will discover that it's God's heart that has suffered the most loneliness...until you speak to Him. I believe that prayer soothes His deepest longings. The same longing when He asked Adam and Eve after the fall, "Where are you?"

The moment we say, "God, I'm here." He comes running toward us with arms stretched wide to receive us. When we are so preoccupied in filling our lonely spaces we tend to neglect pray which only deepens His own pain.

Sometimes in prayer I find myself stretching out my hand. I close my eyes and could almost feel Him taking my hand. And always He says those simple words, "Walk with me." We leave that place of prayer together and throughout the day His hand never leaves mine. The alone places become a place of strength and joy.

And all I do is want to be alone with Him.