The fear of being left alone remains one of man’s greatest causes of concern attracting worry, despair, dread, and anxieties beyond measure. Since the time of creation God said it was not good for man to be left alone but sometimes it becomes necessary so He can take us to that level of spiritual maturity He wants to produce in us. Many of us shun those difficult periods of aloneness but I believe we should instead embrace them. When we are able to abandon our human strategies, know how and reliance on our resources, only then can we learn to clutch onto that intimacy with God. It is during our weakest state that we experience the strength of God.
When Jacob Was Left Alone…
Such was the case for Jacob at Peniel before he set out on
his journey to encounter his brother Esau and while fearing for his own life.
The scriptures tell us that, “And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man
with him until the breaking of day”. In the face of adversity Jacob learned
that when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at
peace with him. Wrestling with God permits Him to pin us down. It may even hurt
during the process but the shaping of our character will forever change our
relationship with Him, and with those that surround us. After this encounter
with God, Jacob was never the same! He learned to lean always on God and not on
his own understanding. You see, God must sometimes dislocate certain functions
in our faulty character in order to produce His desired will for our walk with
Him. Jacob wrestled in the night surrounded by darkness. But the story ends
with the sun rising upon him and halting on his thigh. There is a ray of sun
about to burst upon you in your darkest moment. Trust God in your weakness.
When Hagar Was Left Alone…
Hagar was young and pregnant with a child when her mistres
Sarah treated her harshly and she had to flee into the wilderness. Hagar was
left all alone but this was the first time she learned that while nobody was
around her, there was a God that heard her affliction and saw her plight. She
even named the fountain of water in the wilderness the well of Him that lives
and sees me. Hagar came from a pagan culture that worshipped idols – dead
‘gods’ who couldn’t see or hear. But the God of Abraham was living and real and
wanted to enter into a relationship with her. He commanded her to submit to
Sarah and then blessed her future generation.
Some time later after the birth of her son she was cast out
of Abraham’s home, once again entering the wilderness. This time she became
reacquainted with her blessing and God saved her and her son from dying out of
thirst. God’s ears were attentive to their cries. It was in the face of
rejection and loneliness in the desert that Hagar had an encounter with God and
she received a revelation of Him she had never known before.
For both Jacob and Hagar, the wilderness became a place of
acquaintance with God. No longer would there be a superficial relationship of
religion playing but of heartfelt worship and communion with a personal God.
Jacob the supplanter received a new name and a new mission. Hagar received a
new lease on life and a new future. On both occasions there was angelic
presence to bring hope to a desperate situation.
When Jesus Was Left Alone…
Even after the temptation in the wilderness our Lord Jesus
was left by Himself and was ministered to by angels. During His agony of prayer
alone and while the disciples slept an angel came to strengthen Him. Who knows?
Perhaps in your darkest moments when it appears that there is not a single
person we can lean on or who will stand with you in prayer, God will send his
angels to bring you comfort.
When You Are Left Alone…
Today you may feel alone and that nobody cares. But remember
that there is an Omnipresent God who lives, hears and sees whatever you may be
going through. You are not alone and the source of living water that will
quench your thirst is right before your eyes. Unless you abandon yourself to
Him He cannot remove the veil that will uncover the endless supply He has in store
for your spiritual nourishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment