Temporary Loneliness

Hebrews 11:13-16 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Ever wonder why the depth of Christianity seems lonely? Ever wonder why seemingly the hearts that desire the deep things of God are many times viewed as strange and outsiders? Ever wonder why the circle of friends shrinks as the level of your discipleship grows? Ever wonder why ministry is so hard that many drop out for countless reasons? Ever wonder why pastors are probably some of the loneliest people on earth while still putting on a good act for everyone? Ever wonder why when researching many of the great men of the faith throughout history battled these battles, even to the depths of extreme times of depression? Charles Spurgeon battled heavily with this evil, and wrote, “The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back.”

The writer of Hebrews gives account of the greatest patriarchs of faith in chapter eleven. He has written of those that have stepped out on faith, those that have suffered for their faith, and many times Abraham is called the father of obedience in leaps of faith. God simply told Abram to go….8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. We could spend countless time looking at the depth of the leaps of faith in the Bible, but we must realize that all of these called for going against what the world would call standards; going against worldly decisions and what maybe some would even call common sense. We would be going against what sin and Satan has deemed normal, and God has challenged against in the leaps of faith in Him.

Do you understand this world is ruled by Satan, ruled for a limited time that God allows, but this world is passing away to be replaced by the heaven that God designed. This world is temporary, and sadly many place their hope in all it can provide, while passing up on eternal promises of mansions in heaven. At some point of your walk as a Christian, I pray that God opens the door of enlightenment to your heart and mind of the cares of this world. The walk of the disciple is lonely, but heavenly. The walk of the disciple is a heart that desires to share, no matter what the temporal cost. The walk of the pastor is a heart of an evangelist, leaning on only God and a few close friends. The walk of a disciple of Jesus Christ is the most rewarding “lonely” walk on this earth, because the one central, intimate relationship, is with the Creator and Savior of this world, and it is boundless and timeless.