Alone: October 16, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 16, 2014.

ALONE

DEFINITION:

Apart from or the exclusion of others or things; solitary; separate.

SCRIPTURE:

I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. Psalm 102:7.

KNOWLEDGEAND EXPERIENCE:

The Psalmist in the verse we have written above is expressing that he is feeling like a solitary bird thinking that he has been abandoned by both God and man. These are the thoughts of an afflicted man that feels completely alone and feels that no one cares, even God.

The writer of this Psalm is unknown but it is apparent that it was written when he was going through a troubled time in his life. Psalm 102 tells us that he was in great distress, so much so that he couldn’t eat and he couldn’t sleep. When we are in great distress we often feel deserted and that no one understands. This is how the Psalmist felt.

In verse 7 (above) he pictures himself as just a little sparrow all alone on a housetop. He feels so insignificant that he wasn’t sure God even saw him or heard him. He cries out to God and asks God not to hide His face from him and to turn His ear to him. As he prays for God’s help he feels reassured that God still sits on His throne and that He will respond to the prayer of the destitute.

Every day we receive emails from people that read our devotionals and many of them share with us that they are distressed, frustrated and feeling helpless and alone, just as the Psalmist did. Being alone can be devastating for most people because they have literally no support in this life or do not know where to turn for support. They are truly lonely and alone. They feel no one cares. We can, however, be assured that God cares and that He understands. 

Just think how alone Jesus must have felt hanging alone on the cross. He cried out to God, “Why hast thou forsaken Me?” He endured separation from His Father in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Yes, because of God’s great love for us, He sent Jesus all alone to the cross. Both Jesus and God, our Father, understand what it meant to be alone.

When you, as a believer in Jesus, begin to feel alone you have comfort that an unbeliever does not have. Knowing that you are a child of God, you have Jesus to turn to in prayer and you have the assurance that He is right by your side to comfort you and to encourage you. Those that do not know Jesus as their Savior are truly alone when they face struggles and loneliness.

Do you lie awake at night feeling like a sparrow all alone on the rooftop? Or do you lie down and sleep in peace because you have put your trust in the Lord? It is the Lord alone, nobody else or nothing else, who brings peace and allows us to dwell in safety.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 1:9.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

PRAYER:

Help me to remember that as a child of God, You are with me at all times. May I be an encouragement to someone today who is alone and feels no one cares. May the joy of Jesus shine out through my words and deeds.