The Insidiousness of Loneliness

Loneliness can be a trap laying dangerously in front of us on our journey steeped in the enemies entanglements with the world. The Bible teaches us that we are to be there for our fellow members in the Body of Christ, we are to live out the one anothers of Scripture, we are to live life with one another. All of those are true, yet when those wonderfully, good and sweet tastes of Heaven become the meal, and the goal, then we have lost sight of what the real goal is.

Reading I Kings 17-19 this morning hit this point home to me. Elijah, the man of God that faced off the 400 prophets of Baal, won a tremendous victory for the God of the Hebrews within his own camp. This was not some foreign kingdom, these were the chosen people of God that had prostituted themselves to Baal and Molech. God calls Elijah, he uses him in a mighty way. Then Jezebel says she is going to do to him what he did to her beloved prophets, and he runs. He sits under the broom tree despairing of life, yet God feeds him and gives him gives him drink. He, through the angel of the Lord tells him, "the journey is too much for you so eat and drink." The Lord is taking pity and mercy on Elijah, he fellowships with him, he treats him as a friend would. From there Elijah travels on for 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai), and hides himself in a cave. God shows up again. Elijah complains again, saying he alone is left to serve him, he alone. God continues to minister to this man of God. He shows him a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, and after the fire, God whispers to him. God once again asks him what is it that you are doing here, Elijah?" Elijah says once again, I alone am left to serve You. I am alone. God gives him a few things to do. He tells him to anoint a Hazael to be king over Syria, anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, and Elisha was to be anointed prophet in his place. The Lord also revealed to him that there are 7,000 faithful in Israel. I don't know about you, but 7,000 is not alone. Elijah leaves and goes to find Elisha, but he doesn't anoint him, and there's no record that he has anointed the above kings either. Elisha says let me go kiss my parents, and Elijah's response is less than enthusiastic. He says to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?" (v. 20) Elisha goes kisses his parents, and sacrifices his oxen. God in verse 18 says the people had "kissed" Baal symbolizing that they had abandoned the true God for Baal. Elisha destroys his means of livelihood, kisses his parent and runs to catch up to the pouting prophet Elijah. Elisha has abandoned his home and business for God.

These passages hit me like a ton of bricks. For I, over the last two years have had some of the same complaints (all of this is relative to what Elijah went through, but the application still stands) the same aloneness, and basically the same disobedience that Elijah has. Yet God over and abundantly provided for Elijah. We left a place where I had a lot of really close friends, to a place for the past two years I have felt sorry for myself because God had taken those friendships away. Of course it was all His sovereign plan, so who else can I blame? He has fed me, he has given me companionship through His Spirit, He has been there for me, tenderly showing me who He is and has always been, even in the painful past. I have continued to complain, wanting more than Him. I have fallen into the trap of the insidiousness of loneliness. I deserve these relationships, I want them, I am alone to fight to the battles, and yet God has been there all along. Oh, God please forgive me. Elijah basically, up to this point, has never learned his lesson, yet God never abandons him. I think some where along the way he does learn, grow, and become wiser, and God all along wanted to have fellowship with this lonely, pouting prophet.

Father I repent in dust and ashes. You know that I am but dust, please let me desire nothing on earth besides You.