Freedom from loneliness

1 Kings 19:9-12 (ESV)

9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

Have you ever felt alone? You were excluded from the party; you didn’t get an invite. You were stuck at home alone while everyone else hung out. Everybody else got the Snap and laughed when they got it, but your profile stays quiet. Nobody seems to want to talk or hang out. Or maybe the opposite is true. You have lots of people who want to be your friend, but you’re not close to any of them. You’re alone in the crowd; you have lots of likes and followers but you still long for a true friend. Or maybe, your faith puts you on an island, standing for God’s truth, so that you end up all alone because of your stand.

If you’ve ever felt alone, you can relate to the prophet Elijah.

Elijah had a tough job. He had to preach against the king and queen of Israel. They had introduced a false God named Baal into Israel, and they were leading thousands of people astray. Elijah preached, and he preached. Then he preached some more. But no one seemed to care. No one seemed to listen. He felt alone. In fact, he was so lonely and so overwhelmed that he at one point said, “God, I’m done. Take me home to heaven.” He wanted to die.

But God wanted him to know that he was not alone. And he wants you to know it too. There was Elijah in a cave, hundreds of miles away from everyone. But then God came. And he said, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Elijah had run; he had tried to hide. But he could not escape God’s loving care and concern. God was right there to care about Elijah. We are never alone! God is always with us. There’s no place we can go on this earth where we will be alone. God will always be with us.

And God made sure that Elijah knew it. He came to Elijah through a whisper, through his Word. And that’s what God does for you again and again. He comes to you in his Word and declares his undying love for you. He reminds you that in baptism God has made you his own child and he will always be there. Each time you come to the Lord’s Supper he will assure you again and again of his love and forgiveness. The Lord is always with you. You are never alone. Not now. Not ever.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your love that you promise to never take away from us. Thank You for the Christian friends you have placed in our life so that we are never alone. We always have You and we always have a Christian community around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.