I thought it'd be appropriate to post this A.W. Tozer excerpt for a few reasons - mainly for personal encouragement. I'm writing this first paragraph after having written the complete blog entry and can honestly say that my final statement is true.
The Loneliness of the Christian
by A. W. Tozer
The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone.
The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.
The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens.
He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.
It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else."
From: Man - The Dwelling Place of God, Chapter 39 : "The Saint Must Walk Alone"
I could not have come across this at a better time! You ever go through one of life's episodes that you don't fully understand, and can't fully articulate, yet know it's God's doing? I've experienced this for at least the past 60-90 days.
Although I couldn't put my finger on why, I felt so alone that at times that I've spent days wondering 'what's the point?' - 'if I'm running this race alone, then why even run hard?' I've felt like Paul must have felt when he wrote I Californians -[witticism]- warning them to flee carnality, cling to the saving work of the cross, and walk in the Spirit only to have to write them a second time concerning similar things. Every thing from what I believe to be a clearly biblical worldview on the Christian's responsibility during this last presidential election, to constantly defending the Bible and Gospel [to believers], at times has mentally driven me to the darkest of corners, where all I could do was cry out 'Lord where have all your people gone, am I supposed to be all by myself or do I have to change?' to which He replies "YES".
As Tozer so pointedly named the chapter in his book that I took this quote from, 'The saint must walk alone'.
"The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him....
....It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else."
I have undoubtedly been driven to seek in God what I can't, and shouldn't find anywhere else. The union, love, alliance and trust can only be found in Him. Ever since the creation of man we were designed to find solidarity in Him(Gn 1:27). Any and everything else will inevitably let us down(Ecc. 1:14). Even our Lord Jesus was prevented from performing miracles because the people in His hometown rejected him (Matt 13:53-58). He was left alone in the garden by His disciples (Mk 14:37) and ultimately betrayed by Judas (Luke 22:3-4). In all of these instances Jesus relied on God the Father for strength, comfort and perseverance. If it's fit for Him, I submit that it is likewise fit for us today (Matthew 10:24-25).
Is it time for you to become at home with being 'alone'? Ask the Lord how He might use some unaccompanied time with Him so they you might come to know Him better and your faith might grow.
Mine just did at 2am on a Monday night.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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8 comments:
I read your entry right after I read my daily devotion from Greg Laurie and I couldn't help but add the excerpt here to complement your post:
"Have you noticed that courage seems to be in short supply in this day and age?
What is courage? According to one definition, courage (also known as bravery, will, and fortitude) is the ability to confront rear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. "Physical courage" is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship, or threat of death.
We see courage on display every day from our troops defending our freedom overseas, as well as those brave police officers and firefighters that put their lives on the line for us every day.
A few questions
How would you define courage?
Do you think of yourself as courageous?
Can you think of any examples of courage you have seen recently?
Moral courage
But physical courage is not the only kind of courage that exists. There is also moral courage, the ability to do what is right in the face of popular opposition or discouragement.
It takes courage to do the right thing today, to stand up for what the Bible says about right and wrong, good and evil.
It takes courage to live honestly, with integrity, avoiding the "shortcuts" that may get you ahead but take you down spiritually and morally.
It takes courage to honor the vows you made to be faithful to your spouse and stand by them "for better or for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and health," as opposed to abandoning them when the marriage gets challenging.
It takes courage to remain sexually pure as a single person with all the pressure today from peers and the media.
And it takes courage to follow Jesus Christ, no matter how hard it gets."
Stand firm bruh. I love you.
in an email Sonst1234 wrote:
artist name xavier oconnor from 'the pilgrimage" cd song title: stand alone.
one of my personal favorites.
sorry, don't know how to blog yet, but i've been reading them...very encouraging!
in an email Carolyn wrote:
Hi Steve, the walk with God is sometimes alone, but not lonely, I like this that you sent. Remember even those who walk and talk with God may sometimes stumble and fall but if he or she comes to Christ he will pick them up he is a God of forgiveness and restoration, I am a living witness to that. Though I still have reservations about our President, I can’t help but feel that God is even using him for His divine purpose, remember Judas he was used to help the purpose be fulfilled. When I look at the big picture I cannot help but know that God is in control, nothing happens without him, He will take what the devil means for evil and turn it around for good. I love you.
As a resent recipient of the walk alone award, I also played the leading role as the lonely Christian.
I met with a friend yesterday that was in my inner circle of friends before I became a Christian. The Lord placed it on my heart to have this meeting, which was the first in nearly a year. It would be everything I expected it to be. The initial friendly "how have you been" which we all know can only last about 10 minutes max and as believers we've already talked about the Lord at least 3 times, followed by "what's new and exciting" which we all know lasts about 10 seconds before we've talked about the Lord again and it's followed up eventually by the "I'm glad you found what was missing in your life, because you needed something like that" line. This is about the time when your eyes drop, you let out a sigh and your faith starts to reach for that moral courage as their words start to cut as much as ours start to convict.
It's amazing what an unbeliever can attempt to destroy within seconds, after hearing any word remotely close to God and the Kingdom of Heaven, or dismiss as "feel good religious mumbo jumbo". We have to walk that fine line of reasoning without showing too much emotion before we get taken advantage of. Even though we have a knowledge of the truth our faith starts to take punches. When the conversations over and you walk away, we as believers can instantly feel that feeling of defeat. Not because what we said was wrong in any way shape or form, but because the masses have got it so mixed up. I had that feeling in my heart which cried out "Lord help me". Unfortunately we know 99% of all conversations with non believers are going to end like this, but thank God that He Himself is walking away from that conversation with His arm around us saying bless you son/daughter for having such faith.
I understand that feeling of walking alone. I had that feeling of defeat last night. Yet after a nights sleep and a shot of wisdom the Lord has turned what felt so bad at the time, into something that feels so wonderful now.
Everyday is definately a new challenge, but how exciting is it to know that the Lord is actually doing a work in your life?
It's so interesting how my constant disappointment with my brothers and sisters in Christ can often make me feel dismembered from the body.
I admit, the loneliness that results persists because I often don't seek the Father for strength, comfort and perseverance in those moments. But the loneliness also persists because I fail to extend mercy to those who don't follow Christ the way I believe they should be following Christ.
So, do I sacrifice community for truth (or vice versa)? Perhaps Matthew 12:7 can teach me how my heart can better reflect the image of my creator.
I really enjoyed this post, it gave me a lot to think about. It also revealed to me an area of sin in my life that I need to work on. Thanks.
Wow. Seems like this blog has provoked some pretty good comments. I thank you all for your input.
WOW!!!! To much to write I'm gunna have to call ya bro. Real Talk this is "EXACTLY" what's been going on with me as of late. This speaks soo much volume. Thank You my Brotha I truly appreciate your commitment & diligence to the "proper" building of God's Kingdom!!! Christ-Up!!
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