Are you lonely and despondent? You really do not deserve to be in this pit of depression. Don’t allow Satan to tell you that you do. I have been where you are, so I am not belittling your circumstances, just encouraging you to go deeper in God during this time. I felt like you feel, but I learned a secret. Connecting to the Spirit of God in times of aloneness gives us the opportunity to walk in His peace and joy in each moment of the day. We cease our striving and daily enter His eternal rest (Psalm 46:10; Hebrews 3:19).
When we sit alone, we are
never lonely as long as the Spirit of God resides within our spirit (Psalm
46:10). You will not find fulfillment
with your first child, a new mate, job, hairstyle, wardrobe, car or home,
another city in which to live, a facelift, etc. You will only find fulfillment
in the center of His will, and this may or may not include any of these things.
If His will for you does not include what you want, you will be living out of
His will if you have it. You will also be miserable if you get it anyway.
The story is told: “Two
teardrops meandered down the stream of life; one belonged to the girl who lost
the man she loved, the other belonged to the woman who found him!” It’s all a
matter of perspective, and God knows what is best for us.
When you feel lonely, or
long for what you do not have, put on your praise music and sing in
thanksgiving to God for what you do have. If you want to get your mind off your
problems, bake a cake and take it to a neighbor. Go to the homeless shelter and
help out any way you can. Go grocery shopping for an elderly person. Take a
walk in the park and join in with nature as it sings praises to God. Sit at the
beach and soak up the warming rays of the sun. Open your Bible and ask God to
speak to your heart through His Word.
In the early morning, during our lunch hour at work
or in the later part of the evening, make time to enjoy concentrated alone
(all-one) time with the Lord. The world around us may just be waking up or
going to sleep. The phone is silent and no one demands our attention. As we get
more in-tune with God’s Creation around us, we might hear crickets chirping
with an occasional frog adding his opinion to the conversation, or the waves of
the sea lapping the shore or the birds singing; and we join our voice to theirs
in praise to our God (Psalm 69:34; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 145:10; Luke 19:40).
We
develop a deeper relationship with Him with each passing day. We find
fulfillment by focusing not only on His benefits, but primarily on who God is (Psalm
103:2). Rather than quoting scriptures
at Him and demanding that He fulfill His promises in our life, we simply praise
Him for who He is, receiving what He gives us with a grateful heart. Do not
waste your time begging God for what you want. Seek first His Kingdom and He
will add to your life everything you need (Matthew 6:33). If He does not add
it, you do not need it!
Prayer:
Father
God, teach us to focus on what we have, rather than on what we do not have (1
Thessalonians 5:18). Then, we will move
through the routine of our daily life led by Your Spirit with unending
blessings and fullness of joy singing in our heart (Psalm
21:6). If we take time to listen, You
make Your will known to us and You fill us with the joy of Your presence in
every moment of our life. We receive eternal pleasures in our daily life as we
sit at Your right hand (Psalm 16:11).
Make us grateful for what You already provided for us, so we will not yearn
for, cry over or be upset about what we think we need (Matthew
6:33).
Thought for the Day:
If
you are home alone, and you start to feel lonely, either get out and serve, or
spend time growing deeper into the presence of God.
