Suffering: Loneliness, Like Anna, The Prophetess
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.
Psalm 27:10 (NLT)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
“Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:48-50 (NKJV)
I'm well acquainted with loneliness. For me, it was an ESSENTIAL sadness that sent me searching for the Antidote:)
To my WONDROUS surprise, I found Jesus. Before meeting Him… and well beyond it, I spent two years alone in a cabin on a mountain top in Northern Georgia.
I believe the Lord intends His children to be in FELLOWSHIP, not loneliness. Even so, loneliness has an upside. It encourages communion with God:
Both for me and the prophetess, Anna, who got to see the Christ as a Baby!
“Anna was desolate, that is, alone, or solitary. A widow can know what it is to face a long, lonely, and cheerless life, and a solitude made more acute because of the remembrance of happier days. But it was not so with Anna. When as a young, motherless wife, God withdrew from her the earthly love she rejoiced in, she did not bury her hope in a grave. In the place of what God took, He gave her more of Himself, and she became devoted to Him who had promised to be as a Husband to the widow, and through her long widowhood was unwearying in devotion to Him.” *
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
If loneliness has gripped you in the past (and you’re concerned it might grip you again), learn to think about it differently.
Down time is a great time to seek God MORE! All Christians need occasional retreats. 'You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart' (Jeremiah 29:13).
But don’t let “retreat” become your go-to. Onward, forward, and upward is your way. ‘One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…’ Philippians 3:13).
As a member of the body of Christ, God designed you to be in fellowship! ‘We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing’ (Hebrews 10:35). 'God sets the lonely in families' (Psalm 8:6)
Suffering: Like Anna, The Prophetess (Part 23)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God– to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.
WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!