One of the best gifts you can give yourself is learning to be alone but not be lonely. I have experienced loneliness plenty of times in my life, but I have never felt alone in silence and solitude with God.
It runs counterclockwise to the world’s wisdom that the practice of solitude and silence can quiet the mind so we can hear and discern God’s words of friendship to us. In the silence, we discover God’s presence is with us, and we are never alone. (Alone with God in the Silence)
Yahweh communicates in the creation account of Genesis it is not good for man to be alone. The Scriptures describe an out-of-body experience where the flesh of Adam metamorphosis and Eve appears in radiant beauty and persona. So since the creation time, there was hope for companionship, and no one should ever experience the feeling of loneliness. Unfortunately, throughout history, humanity has suffered the heartache of broken and failed relationships and the sense of being desperately alone much of the time.
The contemplative path understands there is a hunger of our soul never satisfied by anything in this world. The more we search and desire external things and expect people to fill the emptiness of our souls, the more significant the depths of the separation and loneliness we feel.
We search in vain, like King Solomon, for earthly pleasures to fill the treasure chest of our soul. He pursued whatever his eyes and heart desired, and we discover, like him, that the riches of this world are bland imitations of God’s indwelling presence and love in our lives.
However, paradoxically the loneliness we feel in the depths of our souls can propel us and drive us to seek a secret place in our hearts for the presence of God to abide and dwell with us. It is a sacred space in silence where we can let go and release our soul from the weights and trappings of the world and encounter the presence of Christ.
I encourage you to find a place where you can shut the door to the outside world and pray to your Father in secret (Matthew 6:6). A place to cast all your cares and worries upon the one who is divine love. Let the lover of your soul reach into the hidden and lonely areas of your heart and speak peace and hope.
Please understand no one on earth has the power to free you from your loneliness except you. Listen for the voice of Christ in the silence when you feel forsaken and let down by everyone. I am with you, and I am your advocate and friend. In the silence, come to me and know that I will capture your heart and hold you in my firm grip. (You are Never Alone for I am Always with You)
Seek contentment in my presence because the more you crave the allure of the world, the more you distance yourself from the center of my being in love. You drift from my presence when you focus on what you desire and pursue in the world. When you lose sight of me, you lose the awareness of your true identity of being united and one with me and everything in creation. When you live unaware of my love and my spirit is when you feel most alone. And I encourage you to experience my presence alive in you momentarily, and I am with you always so you never have to be or feel alone again. Learn to be alone but not lonely.
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