“And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” Mark 4:34

 Never Alone

I’m alone a lot. My kids are now young adults living their own lives, my husband works out of town a lot, and I work in an office where I’m generally by myself. I get lonely. Yet I need to appreciate this season. God has set time for me alone with Him—to be dependent only on Him, to pray, to give His thoughts room to become my thoughts—and to set my love on Him alone.

There’s a great promise in this. Psalm 91:14-16 says, “Because he (or she) has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him, I will set him on high, because he has known My Name. He shall call upon Me and I will answer him and I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

It’s in those special alone times in the morning that God’s “father-ship” and friendship work deep within, equipping me with confidence because of who I am in Christ, with purpose because I get to participate in His Kingdom plan, and with peace because I can rest in His presence, never alone. This time is valuable and precious because His great love for us refines our character to be more like Christ and not live in the flesh. Through prayer, reading the Word and in Bible study, He humbles our false pride and wrong attitude, changing us from glory to glory, to be useable vessels.

And when trouble comes, or drama and turmoil happen in relationships during our day, we can get alone, out of the noise, and can ask the Lord the hard questions like the disciples did. “When they were alone, He explained things.…” So when confusion swirls around, whether it comes by others or my own insecurity and misinterpreted words, I can ask: “Lord, what is the truth here?” Then when I’m still, He reveals the truth and peace to my mind and soul. I can absolutely trust His guidance and grace. I can be humbly willing to receive His perspective for that moment. By putting on His courage, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, I can react in love, changing the situation from confusion to peace. What an awesome Savior!

We can abide in the secret place. I’m thinking of the song learned when I was young:

“When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet silver sound of a lark. Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone.” *I’m not sure the writer was a Christian but it certainly applies to our walk with the Lord. He’s always with us.

“I’m so thankful I belong to You, Jesus, and I’m never alone. When we abide in Your love, You abide in us. I pray my sisters are blessed in Your presence today.” 

*You’ll Never Walk Alone by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC