Where to turn when you're all alone
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The cave was dark and dingy. He had been there longer than he wanted; he was hungry, cold and all alone. There was nobody to help and everyone he knew wanted him dead. The cave was his only refuge. That is how David felt in the cave at Adullum. He was on the run from Saul and feared for his life. He was scared that if he left, he would be found and killed.
This was the same David that slayed Goliath with a small stone. The same David that other people looked up to and honored for his heroism. Yet here he was, scared and feeling alone. He was so dismayed that in Psalm 142 he cried out to God because he had nowhere else to turn. Maybe you've been here before. Maybe you're at this point in life right now. Sure, you may not be hiding in a cave, but you feel like it. Who do you turn to when you feel like you can't go on?
I keep a letter in my wallet everywhere that I go. This letter I wrote in one of the darkest moments in my life. I was surrounded by people that cared about me, but I felt like I had no one that could help me. So, I wrote a letter to God. I begged him to save me. I promised him that things would be different if he did. I cried out to him for direction, to hear his voice, to feel whole again. I couldn't think of anything else to do, and just talking to an empty room didn't feel like enough. So, like David, I wrote.
The interesting part about David's story is what he didn't know. As he was writing this letter, 400 of his closest friends and comrades were looking for him. He was hiding within minutes of his support team and he had no idea. He felt alone and completely lost but he was surrounded by people that wanted to protect him and had followed him into the unknown.
You always have someone in your corner, even when you don't feel it.Like David, you may be praying out of your loneliness, your pain, your fear or pleading with God for rescue; and God hears these prayers every time. But do you share any of this with anyone else? What does your support system look like?
You always have God.There is an old song by the band Stellar Kart and the chorus says, "Through the fight you will never be alone, on your own, you've got me and Jesus." This has always been a powerful reminder for me that God is always on our side. Paul encouraged his readers that nothing in the entirety of creation can separate you or me from the love and care of God (Romans 8:38-39). Right before this encouraging reminder he shares that God works to bring blessing, care, and good for those that love and follow him (Romans 8:28). So remember, you are never all alone. You are always in the presence of God.
You have people around you, whether you know it or not.David left that cave in Adullum to meet 400 people that cared about him. Imagine being him. After capturing the powerful prayer asking God to save him and sharing how alone he felt, he walked out to that crowd of people cheering him on.
Who is your crowd? You may be reading this thinking there is nobody, that you truly are on your own. Have you shared your feelings with your family, your friends, maybe with a trusted peer or coworker? Have you called your church? There is someone around you that cares about you. There is someone waiting to rally the troops, to go in search of you as you cry out in Adullum. Sometimes all it takes is reaching out to someone, sending a text, making a call, or just pulling them to the side at work and sharing with them. We truly live the heart of God when we care for each other and help each other through the hard times (Galatians 6:2). You may have opportunities to be that person for someone else, and sometimes you have that person you need right next to you.
When God created all that is, he said it was good. There was one moment, however, that he said something was not good: the moment when Adam sat there alone. God created us to be in community with those around us, to rely on him and to connect with others. This is why the writer of Ecclesiastes said that a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecc. 4:12). We are strongest when we are walking with God and with those around us.
So, who do you need to reach out to today? Take one step to connect with someone, to share what you are going through. God cares about you and so do those around you.
 | Sean Lord is a pastor, husband, and father. He enjoys writing about leadership, theology, and ministry. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and currently pastors at one of the largest churches in the U.S. He spends much of his time mentoring and coaching pastors as well as leaders outside of the church. Learn More » |
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