You’re Not Alone
What do you do when you feel alone? Wendy shares from the story of Elijah, and reminds us that, even if you think you are, you’re not alone.
Everyone Has Felt Alone
Have you ever felt alone, fearful, and hopeless? Elijah did. In 1 Kings 19:4 he said:
“I have had enough, LORD.”
1 Kings 19:4
Well, I’ve felt like this a few times. And on the most recent occasion, God did what He always does when I get discouraged; He showered me with compassion. I was thinking about how few relatives of mine believe and trust in the Lord.
My thoughts soon turned to self-pity and envy as I remembered what an acquaintance recently shared: she was thankful for the godly family she was raised in; she was thankful to have praying parents and praying in-laws who lifted her, her husband, and her children up to God each day for protection and blessing.
Is Someone Praying For Me?
As I walked up the narrow stairway that leads to our den, I thought of how nice it must be to know you’ve got relatives faithfully praying for you and for your family. “Lord, I wish this were so in my life. Is there anyone praying for us?”
The moment I’d whispered this, I thought of Elijah and how he’d whined that he was the “only one left” who hadn’t bowed down to a false god. God was gracious to Elijah; He didn’t condemn him for his poor attitude and fumbling faith, He listened to him. And then He whispered to the downhearted prophet to return to work. He also told Elijah there were seven thousand who had not kissed Baal yet. Well, seven thousand is certainly a lot more than one. Elijah had been bountifully wrong.
“Lord, are You suggesting I’m foolish to focus on what I think I don’t have?”
My Heavenly Father
As I turned away from self-pity and turned my thoughts towards my heavenly Father, I embraced His forgiveness for my ungratefulness and then I wondered who was praying for us; except this time I wondered in a hopeful way. I’ll bet there are people I have no idea of, who are lifting our family in prayer. In this simple turning of my mind to the Lord, I remembered my bigger family—the family of God. I’m adopted through Christ into it. Jesus said we’re kin when we do the will of Him. His will for me isn’t to whine; His will for me is to win.
My salvation and the salvation of my family have already been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. My job is to trust and obey, and to believe and to pray. God knows what number will eventually bow down to Him. My concern should be to do the will of my Father while He wins souls through His wooing Spirit of love.
God Hasn’t Left You Alone
I walked with a spring in my step towards my stash of bedtime books, and I fell asleep shortly after reading what turned out to be the most appropriate chapter for me at that time. The next morning, before church, I wrote in my journal about my heavy-hearted walk up the stairs, and about how I’d been worried about my family, and worried about how God had met my need for comfort through His presence and through the book I was reading. And then I wrote the following prayer:
Thank You, Lord, that as I seek Your face, You give me strength to carry on and not give up.
The Scripture verse I chose as my verse of the day was Psalm 105:4 NIV, which says:
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Psalm 105:4 NIV
I took this verse as a reminder that I was not to seek comfort in anyone or anything else first. I was to find my strength in the Lord. And I had. I readied myself for church, and then I checked my e-mails. And the question I’d had the night before about who may be praying for us was brought to mind as I read some startling words. For it turned out there was indeed someone lifting my nest to be blessed. Someone I’d never exchanged e-mails with before sent me a note to let me know she had prayed Psalm 91 over me that morning.
Verse 14 & 15 of Psalm 91 says:
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name, He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalm 91:14-15
We Must Seek God’s Face
Wow. Grace, grace, all His grace shared when we seek His face. He says it’s our loving Him, our acknowledging Him, our calling upon Him that secures our deliverance. It’s not our performance. It’s not our perfection (lean chance of that). God desires to be with us in our trouble; God desires to honor us. He’s ever present with His still small voice that can only be heard when our grumbling is hushed and we seek His face. It’s His face we must seek. Not our first or present family or friends or fellowship. He blesses us most through them after we’ve refreshed ourselves in Him. Oh glorious, glorious God. You are good to us. Always.
I’d like to close with a short poem I wrote in response to Psalm 105:4:
Your Will
Your will is all I seek
For You are the strength I need
To overcome the fear in me
So I can walk in victory.
Well, dear friends, blessings as you seek God’s face and walk in victory.
What do you do when you feel lonely? Does God’s Word give us the answers? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Wendy Macdonald
Wendy L. Macdonald is a Canadian, inspirational writer/blogger who also loves to photograph nature. When she’s not writing, drawing, gardening, or sewing, she enjoys hiking, with her husband, in the beautiful parks of the Comox Valley. She home-schooled her children and believes all those years of reading wonderful classics aloud helped develop her love of storytelling and writing.
Wendy’s show, “Walking With Hope” airs on HopeStreamRadio, providing observations and insights from both her life experience, and her knowledge of God.
Read and hear more from Wendy L. Macdonald on the contributor’s page or on her personal website.
Leave a Reply