Is there anyone out there that enjoys loneliness???Being alone and being lonely are two different things, of course. You can feel lonely in a crowd, and you can be full of contentment and peace all by yourself. Some of us need to recharge our emotional and physical batteries by spending time alone. Those who are more outgoing might find they re-energize by being in a crowd. But all of us have had numerous occasions when we find ourselves lonely - wishing we had someone to connect with on a heart level and not being able to satisfy that need.Loneliness. Does it ever serve a spiritual purpose? I believe many times it does. Has God ever stepped onto your front porch and rung your doorbell? Has He ever called you on your cell phone or texted you? Probably not. So how does He get your attention? We would love a letter dropped from Heaven right into our laps. Or how about an angelic telegram? Well, I think that loneliness can be God's calling card.You're in your dorm room and everyone seems to have a date or your friends left for a movie and didn't include you. You find yourself alone and lonely. What to do? Look at your planner. Nothing is written there. Or is there? Perhaps God has written His name in (using invisible ink of course). Could it be that He has been waiting to spend some quiet time with you and you forgot to pencil His name in? Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
Sounds an awful lot like an invite to me. The next time you sit down in the cafeteria and there's no one to talk to, or you're stuck in your dorm room all by yourself, talk to the Lord. He cares about every detail of your life. Tell Him everything that's bugging you. Share your heartaches and frustrations. I Peter 5:7
...casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me. He's the perfect friend. He's the perfect counselor. Try reading John 1 if your Bible is handy. Then ask Him to fill you with His love. Then ask, "Lord is there someone that needs encouragement or friendship? Make me a vessel of Your love and show me who to befriend right now." Then look around and see if you can give away some of God's love to someone else: share a smile or hold a door open, or buy a postcard and send an encouraging note. Ask God for creative ways to bless somebody else that might be lonely, too. Focus outward, not inward.
For whatever reason, I entered my adult years with numerous fears. Since I couldn't deal with them all at once (who can?) God has been gracious to point them out to me when it is time to deal with each one. An example that comes to mind was my fear of flying. Although I never really enjoyed traveling by airplane, it didn't become a significant fear until after 9/11. For four years after that act of terrorism, I refused to get on a plane. God was patient with me. However, the day came when I needed to travel to Washington, D.C. (of all places). As I was praying with a prayer partner on the phone, God impressed on my heart that He wanted to set me free from my fear of flying. The problem was, I didn't want to get rid of the fear. Doesn't make sense, does it? My mind rationalized that if I kept the fear, I wouldn't have to actually board a plane. That was my way of staying safe. But relying on fear for one's safety is not God's plan. So after struggling mentally and emotionally with God's offer, I decided to accept. My friend prayed that God would break the fear off, and He did. Peace replaced the fear, and I was able to make the plane reservations.That was not the end of the story, however. One day I was picking up my son from his friend's house. His friend's father is a pilot, and we began a conversation about his work. Without thinking, I repeated what I had often said in the past which was, "I hate flying." Instantly I felt the fear of flying reattach itself to me. I was mad at myself for declaring a fear from which God had just set me free.What to do? After confessing my error, God was gracious to set me free again. That's one of the things He loves to do. He doesn't want us walking in bondage to fear or anything else that keeps us from fulfilling His plans for our lives. And He has the power to do it!The next step in 'sealing' the healing, so to speak, was to walk it out. That meant getting on the plane and trusting in faith that we would land safely. Here's the funny part. Not only did I fly on a day when it was snowing but we sat on the runway for quite some time waiting to be de-iced. Pink bubbly liquid was being sprayed on the windows and wings while we waited to take off. Not a comforting sight or thought. I actually laughed when I saw it, and thought, Okay, God, this is really funny. It's not enough for me to just get on this plane, but you are really testing my faith on this one. Obviously we landed safely, and I learned a valuable lesson.Last summer I had to deal with another fear. God had impressed on my heart to participate in a mission trip to South America. I had been on the same trip the year before but for some reason paralyzing apprehension came over me and I was unable to sign up for the trip. As the deadline to apply approached I knew that I needed prayer. A friend prayed for me over the phone and asked God to show me the source of the fear. Immediately a scary memory surfaced that was related to a traveling experience many years ago in which my personal safety felt threatened. Once the source of the fear was uncovered I was able to pray through the incident using my previous training in inner healing.Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified translation)
Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I AM with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I AM your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes I will help you; yes I will hold you up and retain you with My (VICTORIOUS) right hand of rightness and justice.
That verse assures us that God is always with us. God doesn't want us looking at our circumstances and being frightened. He wants us to keep our eyes on Him and who He is. He is our defender and protector. We are to trust Him for our security. Fear imprisons us. But God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to set the captives free.
The Word of God also says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. If fearful thoughts plague my mind, it helps me to declare that Scripture out loud or meditate on it until peace is restored.
Fear is not fun. It's the opposite of faith. These are just a couple of ways that God has helped me conquer fright. If you have other ways of dealing with it, I would love to hear your comments.
