Why should you feel alone?
I was completely alone. I didn’t even know where the nearest human being might be.
And I had made what could be a fatal error. Four hours earlier, I had chosen not to take my spare light from my bag at mile 40 because I thought I could make it to my headlamp at mile 59. I had underestimated how slow I was going.
The sun had just gone down, and I was in the woods, by myself, without a light, running a trail race.
So, I started to pray. As I was praying, I gave God ideas on how He could provide me with light to see the trail ahead. My ‘brilliant’ idea was that he could arrange the clouds so the sun below the horizon would bounce its light off them and onto my path.
But God’s ideas on how to provide light were much better than mine. And they worked! (Don’t they always?).
First, the trail blazes painted on the trees were a reflective white paint. At night in the forest, when the trees were just a shade blacker than the air around them, I could see the blazes. I figured that as long as I could see one blaze, I could run to it without worrying if a tree was in my path. Then, I could find the next blaze and run to it.
Was it scary? You bet! The thoughts of wild animals, getting lost, and the possibility of dying were present. At one point, I realized that just to my left I could see the tops of trees a few feet away! That meant there was a gorge drop within 10-15 feet to my left, and I couldn’t even see the ground.
So, what did I do? The only thing sensible: I started singing Matt Maher’s song, “Lord, I Need You” at the top of my lungs! Then, I kept my eyes on the next trail blaze and ran to it.
Strangely, even though I was completely alone, I didn’t feel lonely. I knew the Lord was with me.
Isn’t it incredible that the opposite can also be true? There are times when we are surrounded by people and feel completely alone. It’s important to realize that there is a huge difference between physically being alone and feeling lonely.
While there are countless reasons we might feel alone, the most helpful way of combatting that feeling is to pay attention to our thoughts. Then, take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).
In other words, watch what you are telling yourself about your situation. Pay attention to what you think other people are thinking about you. Most importantly, be aware of your thoughts about God’s care for you in your situation.
Often, when we attend to our lonely thoughts and feelings, we realize that what we are thinking, believing, or even actively agreeing with isn’t fully true.
Scripture reassures us that in Christ we are never alone.
First, in Jesus’ final charge to his disciples in Matthew 28:20, He gives them authority and then instructs them to make disciples throughout the world. But his final words were ones of reassurance. He said, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (CSB)
Jesus tells us not to forget: Wherever we go, He is with us, accompanying us, joined to us.
The author of the book of Hebrews comes at it from another angle. He quotes Joshua 1:5 by saying, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b, ESV).
The Lord uses two concepts here to reassure us that He is with us. First, He says, ‘I will never leave you.’ This means He will never let up in His persistence of staying with us. Second, he says, ‘I will never forsake you.’ This means He will never desert you or leave you behind.
Once you are in Christ, you are never alone! Jesus told his disciples that it was best for him to physically leave them so that the Holy Spirit, who is unhindered by physical limitations, can be with us, even in us (see John 14:15-17 and John 16:7).
As I was running alone in the dark, the trail got more technical and winding, and I was having trouble picking my way along because I couldn’t see the next trail blaze. I was going so slow that a man and woman caught up to me. They had their headlamps and let me run in between them. He led the way scouting out the path; she followed behind with her light providing enough for me to see the roots and rocks. I was so thankful!
At the perfect time, God provided me light in another way. Even though Christ was with me during the entire race, He also provided others so that I could stay the course and finish the race. Without them, I would have been lost.
Dear Saints, remember: the Lord is always with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. In addition, He has provided His Body, the Church, so that we can experience His companionship in fellowship with others as we run the race. You are never alone.
And just a tip—it doesn’t hurt to sing to Him at the top of your voice to remind yourself of that truth.