Psalm 139:7-10 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
Have you ever felt so lonely that it seemed like the world abandoned you? Some people like solitude. I do not. For me, being alone goes beyond the quietness of the moment. For me, being alone stirs up memories of separation and abandonment and all the anxieties that go along with it. I will do whatever I need to do to avoid feeling alone.
For the longest time, I relied upon myself to avoid being alone. I would go visiting friends (not a bad thing to do); I would go shopping (too hard on the budget); I would keep the television on (definitely not the best solution). But these were all temporary solutions; they did not remedy the problem. It was only when I turned to the Lord that being alone became less foreboding.
God’s Word reminds me that I am never alone. He is with me always. He promised to be, and He always keeps His word. I can depend upon Him to remind me that when I am physically alone, I am never spiritually alone (Romans 8:9). I realize that even though I cannot see Him, His Spirit is always with me. When I am afraid, He is there to comfort me; when I am in danger, He is there to protect me; when I am celebrating, He is there rejoicing with me; when I am in a place I should not be, He is there ready to forgive and restore, and lead me to safety. I am never alone or forgotten. I am always securely held in His right hand (John 10:28-29).
In John 14:26, Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” One of the things the Holy Spirit brings to my remembrance is that Jesus said, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” If He never leaves me nor forsakes me, how can I truly be alone? It is a promise that the Son of God has made, and one that He will keep. Moses wrote of the same promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” David knew that God was with him when he wrote in Psalm 23, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…”
Now, I have a new perspective in regards to being alone. I try to approach my times of solitude as times to draw closer to God. I read His Word. I pray. I listen to songs of worship and praise. It becomes our time… together. It is still a work in progress for me, but I am beginning to understand that I am never alone, for God is ever-present, ever-leading, and ever-loving me.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”