Lonely, but Never Alone!

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:16-18). ESV

Can you remember a time when you really needed someone, and that someone wasn’t there? A promise made, was not a promise kept? Of qualities most desirable in a friend, integrity is high on that list! 

I'm talking about the kind of people, that if they can, they will. On a cold Wyoming afternoon recently my Pastor heart was overflowing with gratitude for a group of people from this church who responded to my plea for help in moving a single mom in a tight window of time.

Moving is hard! Moving is no fun…..moving in Wyoming in the winter is….harder still. When I arrived with three brave souls who came with me, we were blessed to see a group from here already there, willing, joyful and determined! There are times in life when at the intersection of circumstance and adversity, you will need others! My prayer for you is when that happens, you will be refreshed by friends, who are willing to step in, so your not alone!

The book of 2nd Timothy written by the Apostle Paul, during an imprisonment in Rome, is a reminder that when life is raw, God has His people positioned to help at just the right time. Today we will also be reminded that when those closest to us and most dependable for what ever reason, are not there….The Lord always Is! In the truest sense of the word…..You've got a friend in Him!

We Can Feel Alone At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!  

I see Paul chained, looking around an intimidating courtroom, for a familiar face, some concerned friend, to lift his sagging spirit with a smile, or a nod, that would say more than words, gestures that in their simplicity were needed, and hoped for. The realty is in a word…. STARK  At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. 

Scholars believe that Paul had upwards of 100 as a part of his missionary team, no one shows up to help him. 

If I was arrested this week, for some offense, I would hope someone from here would come to the Sweetwater county jail and visit!

We live in a time of loneliness.  It is not because we are isolated.  Most people live within a short drive of a city, and those who don’t can easily connect with others over the phone or the internet.  And yet there is a sense that our technological connection has made us less connected in other ways.- Jonathan Master  

From a human earthy standpoint Paul felt the icy chill of indifference. As we step into this year I trust we will all learn to walk slower, through the relationships God has given us! Do those closest to us feel value, do they perceive, that we do not see them as an interruption, but a person of great value and worth?  

Its been said: “Treat everyone you meet with extra kindness because every one you meet is hurting somewhere”.

May it not be charged against them! The inference is that it could be, that God expects us to genuinely care, to befriend, to help, to refuse to give of ourselves to a legitimate need that the Holy Spirit impresses on our hearts is sinful!

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 While we can feel alone….Notice, The Lord is with us!

The Lord is Always With Us  But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

*The Bible’s message about loneliness is clear and realistic.  It acknowledges the reality of loneliness, even (perhaps especially) in the lives of those engaged in service to Christ. The Bible also gives a picture of a God who does not and will not abandon His people. He is with us as a friend, even if all human friends are absent!

But most importantly, the Bible’s message about loneliness centers on the person of Jesus Christ, the one who knows what it is to be overlooked, who knows rejection, who knows abandonment.  

In fact, whatever your experience of loneliness may be – and I have no doubt it is acute and painful at times – it cannot compare to the one who is your Friend, the one who cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He cried this on the cross, in order that those who rely upon Him might never be ultimately alone. *Jonathan Master, Professor at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. 

Paul's ultimate goal was not his own personal safety, but that the Gospel (God’s Good News) would go forward!

Our Security is in Him  So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul had experienced countless times of the Lords intervention  and nearness…when Beaten and left for dead, shipwrecked, spending time in the open sea, snake bit on Malta, various imprisonments, howling mobs, that wanted to kill him….being lowered down in a basket, to escape enemies. More than 40 who took a vow to not (eat or drink)until (Acts 23) they killed him! His life had been hard!

We often look at our own predicaments, and experience spiritual amnesia, forgetting past deliverance, makes us doubtful of present escape! To that there is  small diminutive Apostle who says….” Not so” The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Does this suggest their will not be difficult times, or that we will be shielded from all evil? No! Yet everything that happens to us, must pass through the permissive will of God! 

What can harm you, when everything passes through the hand of a loving Father?- Alistair Begg

*Paul reminds us, To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.  Paul by His example reminds us always to remember :

1.The Presence of God

2.To find our rest always in the will of God

3.And to direct all of our endeavors to the Glory of God *Alistair Begg