HisFragrance

Loneliness

All people suffer the feeling of loneliness.

Loneliness releases a power that can either destroy us or give an incredible gift of creativity.

If you fear it you will definitely flee from it and right into the arms of your biggest fear.

Only thing is:  that fear is clothed in quite the opposite and will eventually show its true colours when you’re caught in the web. 

What you fear will come over you

When you don’t run and stand in the face of fear you stay on your post and that creates confidence an identity.  You’ll see that the power of fear subsides.  Why? Because fear is a phantom that grows bigger when you don’t confront it.

How do you hold your stand?  The thing/person you give your priority to makes the difference.  The subject of your attention equals worship.  If you focus on the fear it will grow.  If you focus on Jesus you worship Him.  It is about acknowledgement.  In the old movies the warriors keep their focus on their commander even in the face of sure death he keeps their spirits up.  Have you seen when the commander is struck down? The warriors loose courage and mostly flee or surrender.  So, if you focus on Jesus, our encourager and our Saviour, we worship Him and draw from His strength to overcome.

Our fear for loneliness can drive us into an addiction: you have to be among people, alcohol abuse, etc.  It is not the people or the alcohol that is the problem but our need of it.  If we need Jesus and we’re addicted to him we will surely not be lonely. 

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ( relax My hold on you)! [ Assuredly not!]

-         Hebr.13:5-Ampl. Bible

Is that clear language or not? God is no liar.

If you feel alone, it does not mean that you are alone in what you do or think or who you are as a person.

You know when you stand and face your fear of loneliness you will see that the vision will change in front of you and you will find Jesus there.  What sets out to be loneliness will turn into intimacy with Jesus.  Jesus is in the most lonely and horrid places.  Look for Him.  He is there because He has overcome loneliness.  He is life and light.  He is all in all.  He is your fulfilment.  Try it. 

Jesus was abandoned by His father on the cross so we will never ever be abandoned by Him.  He paid that price.  He paid it in full.

It will not always be easy to stay and face your places of loneliness, but keep on trying.  The more you try the more confidence you get that you’re able to face things that previously would’ve made you gather your skirts and make a run for it. 

I want to come back to my opening paragraph.  We know the destructive force but the creative one is a hidden treasure:

The most beautiful poems, most touching stories and the most moving music were written by people in moments of loneliness.  It is that wonderful irony that beauty grows in the weirdest of places.  I think it is because when we really take the time to feel lonely we actually take a stand and not fool ourselves.  This is to admit the truth and where truth is Jesus enters.  He makes everything beautiful. 

Give yourself a chance to feel what you feel and be honest about it.  As we are all lonely on this earth and it is a given truth then you may as well come to terms with it.  If you can’t win it then join it and it will change colours: from black and overpowering to warm and inviting.  It will become your place of rest. Exercise it.

Do not get discouraged and do not give up trying.  Just be honest with yourself.  Jesus will not be disappointed in you because He knows your heart and He loves you.  We get disappointed in ourselves because we have incredible absurd expectations and no patience with ourselves.

Pray the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to stand and expect to find Jesus and His goodness.

 I went for a day hike with a friend and near the river we saw the Guinea-fowl with their chicks.  We wanted to catch a couple to take home and raise them in the garden with the chickens.  Guinea-fowl are to me a bit in the line of a stupid one brain celled dodo; heavy birds which you expect not to be able to fly (thought they can if they must).  They do have beautiful spotted feathers, white dots on a gray/blue background.  But their heads look very primitive and makes me think of a prehistoric bird and when frightened they run themselves into a frenzy before they get to the solution to maybe use their wings and fly.  They will take off and fly to the nearest low branch or next field like overloaded Hercules airplanes.  They are not a symbol of agility, grace, beauty or intelligence at all. How they manage to survive is a riddle.

Anyway one would think it would be very easy to catch their chickens. Well, it is not.  Guinea-fowl are always on the lookout like old ladies with too much make-up sitting the whole day watching the neighbors while gossiping and eating.  When one sees something out of the ordinary an alarm is given and it is one big flurry of skirts and bloomers.  Spots everywhere.  Their chickens get an order to stay put while the ladies draw all the attention and hurry away.  The chickens are very well camouflaged and they stay where they are. They are terribly difficult to spot if at all it is possible.  The only way to be able to tell where they are is to try and flush them using loud voices and stomping the ground to create frightening vibes.  Well they will stay put. Very obedient….very safe.  You can stomp next to them and they will press themselves flat to the ground and not give away their hiding place.

 I’ll get back to my story but I believe you get the picture and you know the outcome; we haven’t seen even one chick and had to give it up to our disappointment.  When we were on our way again all the ladies came back and gave their young “It is safe” call.

I believe this is a very valuable lesson which the Lord brought to my attention and which I’d like to share.  As He is busy learning and coaching us and to train us for battle, like a very good mother He knows when we are not mature enough to face certain attacks.  He learns us to recognize His voice (the shepherd) and He says to us the way which we should go (turn left) .  He hides us in crevices and calls us again (Songs).  He wants obedience (Samuel). 

The enemy can not touch us if we listen to the advice or our Father, no matter how weak or young we are.  If He says stay put the enemy will try to flush us out of our hiding place.  He does this just like we tried to catch the Guinea-fowl chicks; by using and overload of sensory stimuli.  Things that addresses our senses.  What we hear, see, feel, etc.  If we listen to his attack we will use our own wisdom and make a run for it and will be an open target.  If we stay put we may feel very vulnerable and alone.  (The chickens never hide together; they are all over the place).  We may feel the Lord has abandoned us and doesn’t hear us.  We may feel very intimidated by what we pick up through our senses.  The Lord says one thing in this difficult time (which seems to appear longer than it is), to be obedient to His voice.  His voice is the soft voice.  He doesn’t need to shout our orders to us.  He tells us what to do. 

So, let us not get flushed by the enemy. 

Like David we don’t have to be afraid to go through the valley of the shadow of death;

       I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Space looks like nothing most of the time and it doesn’t really recall anything of cosines.  It does in turn have great value if you don’t have it.  Ask the Dutch…here in the Netherlands (and in any city in the world) Space is valued, treasured and very expensive.

When we think of our future plans and dreams we probably think of  things and  not space (except if you dream of a bigger house I guess).

Before God floods us with His abundance, He creates space for it.

Once I was praying with somebody in an empty building.  The Lord had supernaturally given them a house with an additional large adjacent building.  As we were walking in there praying for the Lord for some insight in this building I got and image.  I’d like to share this with you because it has really helped me in a major way.

I had the impression that I heard this couple prayed for the Lord to enlarge their territory

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. – 1 Chron.4:10

I saw them in a tent in the dessert and that the tent was enlarged but the furniture were still ordered as in a small tent.  The large empty space frightened them and I saw them trying to rearrange the furniture so as to use all the space. That seemed awkward.  I then heard the words:” don’t be afraid of the open spaces.  Learn to love it because it is filled with My promises”.   I saw from far away a whole caravan of camels heavily loaded with foreign wealth and on its way to the tent.  But as this couple couldn’t see it and they didn’t know the value of the foreign wealth and the new things God is sending their way they were quite anxious about the space.  They even tried to fill it with anything they could borrow or set their hands on which made it really awkward and restless filled the room.

We need the time to grow and be able to manage the space. When God enlarge our territories, He enlarges our abilities, faith and responsibilities.  We prepare a room during the 9 months of pregnancy and in that preparation we grow mentally and physically to be able to care for that baby when it comes.

Don’t be afraid of space/room as it is definitely bordered:

Think of a parking space or space used between two words.  These spaces have a function and are definitely bordered.  Ask God for insight in these borders and don’t be discourage in waiting for what He will certainly reveal to you in the right time.

Leviticus 26:9-10  For I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you, rendering you fruitful, multiplying you, and establishing and ratifying My covenant with you. And you shall eat the [abundant] old store of produce long kept, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new.

Psalm 18:35-36.   You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has held me up; Your gentleness and condescension have made me great.    You have given plenty of room for my steps under me, that my feet would not slip.

God can also use us as spacers.  I know it because I’ve seen it. 

Gen 26:21-22 Then [his servants] dug another well, and they quarreled over that also; so he named it Sitnah [enmity].

And he moved away from there and dug another well, and for that one they did not quarrel. He named it Rehoboth [room], saying, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land

Rehoboth means: mean breadth, broad expanse, wide

Have a look at your own life and maybe you’re not able to see your “mission” or the value of what you’re doing.  Ask God to help you look from another angle.  God has opened my eyes to people entering into plans, congregations, people’s lives and it seems they are sent but then they leave.  These people normally gets etiquettes like: church hoppers, uncommitted, cowards, fleeing, etc and etc. If you are closer and actually have fellowship and value the gift of “letting go”, one see the struggle and purity in these people’s hearts.  Wanting to risk everything to seek and follow the way of His Kingdom.  They create room in their surrounding and bring in new oxygen, new gusts of His Spirit in traditions.  I think they’re pioneers: opening up a new world for others to follow; daring to invade alien country to make a way for His Kingdom.

They are normally people who doesn’t regard themselves as leaders but are ever so aware of their own weaknesses, vulnerable looking for and seeking to find space to breath…to find more life…to find more of Jesus.

God answers the cry of people’s hearts in oppression and He answers by putting His finger on the spacebar.

Are you a spacer?