Alone?
Photo by Jeswin Thomas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-sitting-on-bench-under-tree-1280162/
I came across a video on YouTube the other day which made me smile. It was of an event, where a group of friends and family were gathering together at a restaurant.
The first family arrived, and the man wore a nice bright blue short-sleeved casual shirt. A few comments were made about it, and he said that his wife had picked it for him.
Then another couple arrived, and that man was wearing exactly the same blue shirt as the first. The two men joked at the apparent coincidence!
However, as more people turned up, all the men were wearing the same bright blue short-sleeved casual shirt! Their reactions are very funny, when they see that they are not the only one wearing the shirt.
It’s then revealed that the women were behind it! They had secretly planned together and bought the same shirt for their partners to wear without the men knowing!
This fun idea reminded me of something I read in the Bible recently. It’s about Elijah, a powerful Prophet, God worked through. In the book of 1 Kings, there is a dramatic encounter between Elijah and a group who worshipped Baal, a non-Jewish god.
God was victorious, but the event had a big impact on Elijah personally. He went into hiding as he was emotionally drained and possibly depressed. Elijah said to God…
“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Elijah was desperate, his world had imploded, and he was only aware of his situation. God responded and encouraged him to get up and keep going.
God also said that there were seven thousand other prophets like Him, which Elijah was unaware of. Elijah was not alone! God was with him, and there were other people too.
In my role as a Pastor, I meet people who are hurting, hiding, drained and sometimes depressed. They feel alone, and this is a horrible place to be.
Good news! The Bible tells us that no matter how we may feel, or whatever place we may be in, we are never alone. God is there for us.
There are people who can help, support and encourage us when times are tough. Be encouraged: whatever you are facing you are not alone!
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader