Lent

“As for ourselves, save us by your hand, and come to my help for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord.” Esther 4:17 

Mark Twain, the great American author once said, “The worst kind of loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.” Loneliness is perhaps one of the aspects of Jesus temptations in the wilderness that can easily be overlooked. This notion of isolation, of loneliness can be a blight on our well-being. 

William H. Willimon the United Methodist Church Bishop recalled a incident from his childhood. "A little girl in my second grade class got the dreaded disease of polio. Our teacher described to us the possible complications of her disease. She told us in some detail about the bad things that could happen to her body.

"But our teacher also told us that, because of the polio, we could have no contact with her. We could write her a get-well card, but we could not visit her. And I remember thinking at that moment that the polio itself wouldn’t be all that terrible. I, as an eight-year-old, could put up with the physical pain and inconvenience, but the isolation, the shunning, the loneliness would be the worst."

Loneliness is different from being alone. You can be alone without feeling lonely. However, you can feel lonely even when surrounded by people. Loneliness may have insecurity, sadness, disappointment or grief at its roots. But being alone with God is to be in a completely different place even if our location is the same.

As the demand for our time and attention grows, so does our need to “withdraw to desolate places to pray.” If we wish to be refreshed and refuelled to better live out our passion and purpose, we must make an intentional decision to “unplug” from everything and everyone to spend time with God even when life is at its busiest. Indeed, there is great power in being alone with God.

In you alone we put our hope,

God the Father, Creator and Sustainer,

who gives all good things

seen and unseen.

In you alone we put our hope,

God the Son, Saviour and Redeemer,

who died for our sins

and rose again.

In you alone we put our hope,

God the Spirit, Teacher and Comforter,

who moves us to sing

“Our God reigns!”

In you alone we put our hope. Amen