Alone? (Maybe Not)

Somewhere, there is a person reading this who feels alone.  You may be that person.

 
You may be a college student who feels alone.  It is late at night.  This past weekend, two of your friends boasted of how drunk they got and who they slept with.  Meanwhile, you feel very alone in your dorm.

 
You may be married but you feel alone.  Your husband is busy and preoccupied with his career.  Your children are growing up and you realize they will eventually be moving out and on their own.  Meanwhile, you wonder what the future holds for you.  You feel alone.

 
You may be a widow.  You loved and you received love.  Then, he passed away.  You try to stay very busy but the nights can be very long.  You feel alone.

 
You may be a young father.  You feel under incredible pressure.  You have some overwhelming credit card debt.  You are not sure about your future with this company.  This isn’t exactly what you thought life was going to be.  You feel alone.

 
You may be a person with a secret.  Maybe you are having an affair.  Maybe you have your eye on someone who you would really like to have an affair with.  Maybe you visit porn sites.  Maybe you have lost an incredible amount of money through gambling.  You don’t know what to do.  You feel like you can’t talk to even your closest friends about this.  So—you keep the secret within you.  And—you feel very, very alone.         

 
You may be a minister.  You sensed a call from God.  You went to seminary.  You began serving a church.  You work very hard.  Yet, you feel unappreciated and taken for granted and then feel small and petty for feeling that way.  You love God but you are not sure what to do with the ministry situation you are in.  You feel alone. 

 
Do any of these situations ring true for you?  Maybe.  Regardless of the situation, I suspect that many of you know what it is to feel very, very alone. 

 
The good news?  Jesus in his mercy and through his Spirit has given us his forever presence.
 

• "Lo I will be with you always even to the end of the earth." (Mt. 28:20)
• We are experiencing an ongoing transformation which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.  (II Cor. 3:18)
  
• The Spirit is actually renewing us each day even while outwardly we may be growing older physically.  (II Cor. 4:16)
• The Spirit is a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come  (II Cor. 5:5)
  
• The prophet Ezekiel on the promised return of God’s presence, "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God and they will be my people." (Ez. 37:27)