There must have been several hundred people there at some kind of event.
I looked around at the sea of faces and I didn't recognize hardly anyone.
I felt so all alone.
Have you ever been in a place where you are with many people, but you still feel those pangs of
loneliness deep within your very soul.
These feelings can be very discouraging to us.
There will be times in our lives when we will feel totally alone.
We may be in a hospital room recovering from surgery.
We may be in a nursing home.
We may find ourselves in a jail cell and wonder if anyone truly cares about us.
We may even find ourselves sitting in a pew of a Church surrounded by a multitude of people and
still feel isolated and alone.
Loneliness is hard.
It can tear at our very hearts.
There will be times in life the Lord will call us to go to places by ourselves.
We may have to leave family and friends behind.
It always hard to say goodbye, isn't it?
When I think of someone who must have felt lonely I think of Joshua in the old testament.
You may be saying, Michael, what are you talking about?
Allow me to explain.
In the first chapter in the book of Joshua we find the Lord telling Joshua that Moses was dead.
Joshua had served under Moses for forty years.
That is along time to know someone and then to lose them in death.
Joshua must have been heart broken and lonely.
Then if that wasn't enough the Lord also tells Joshua that now Joshua was in charge of the Israelite
people to lead them into the promise land.
Joshua's heart must have sunk.
He had seen all the problems the Israelites caused.
He was well aware of their moaning and groaning.
He heard all of their complaining.
He remembered their disobedience.
Now the Lord was telling Joshua it was his turn to lead them.
There was something stirring in the heart of Joshua.
It could have been fear, loneliness, or discouragement.
It could have been all of the above.
Why do I say this?
Because the Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous three times within the first nine verses in
the first chapter of the book of Joshua.
Joshua 1:6 says,
Be strong and courageous
because you will lead these people to
inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them."
Joshua 1:7 says,
"Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
that you may be successful wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 says,
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go."
When the Lord tells us something once we know it is important and we should listen, but sometime
s our heads can be a little thick and we have to be told several times.
The Lord is telling the same thing to you and I as he told Joshua was back then.
The Lord wants us to take courage and be strong not in our own strength, but in His strength.
He is our God.
He is Mighty.
He is wonderful.
All things are possible with our God.
He is the true living God and He holds true to His promises.
He also promises that He will always be with us no matter where we go.
He may call us to go hundreds of miles away.
He may want us to go to some far off land to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
He may just want us to put a few miles on our odometer.
No matter what He calls us to do.
No matter where we find ourselves in life.
We may feel lonely, but if we are a believer in Jesus Christ then we are truly never alone.
All of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.
He will truly go wherever we go.
We should praise Him and give Him Glory for His goodness.
We should be thankful to Him that He will always be with us and will never forsake us.
We can count on God to keep that promise.
Lord,
Sometimes we find ourselves in different places and we feel alone.
Thank You O Lord that we know that we are never truly alone because You are always with us no matter where we are.
We thank You for always being with us and leading us through life's challenges.
Bless us this night and help us to draw nearer to You.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
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