Loneliness the Times of Sanctification

I think all of us experience a certain amount of loneliness. I have, and still do. Feeling lonely can come in several forms. We can feel lonely physically, whenever friends and family are not with us. We can feel lonely spiritually, during this time we seem unable to feel God's presence, which happens to all of us. We can even feel all alone in our opinions, especially when our opinions are not the same as anyone else's. Just as each of us has to learn how to put up with the crowds, each of us must also learn how to handle our times of loneliness. Loneliness is more often an unpleasant experience than it is nice, but loneliness is a very necessary part of the sanctifying process. This is why God allows us to experience loneliness.

In Matthew 14:22 -23 say: And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

There were times when the Lord Jesus chose to be alone. We read in the Bible that Jesus spent as many as forty days alone, fasting and was tempted by the devil. We also read how He miraculously fed the multitudes, healed them, cast out their demons, taught them God's Word, and afterwards He would desire to be alone for awhile. This is something we all should pay attention to. If Christ Jesus who Is sinless needed time alone, then the sinners He is saving need time alone too. Each of us must reserve some alone time, so that we may be still, pray to the Father and hear what He has to say to us.

Every now and then, the Father will put us in our lonely place. We may forget we must spend time alone, but He does not. He knows we often need alone time, and He is faithful to it. We may have to endure periods of loneliness so that He may grow us stronger in preparation for something larger we have yet to encounter. This is something only He would know we needed, and when. Also, He may appoint times of loneliness that force us to reflect on our lives or on any bad attitude or behaviors we may have, so that we might renounce them and repent. The periods of loneliness may be tranquil and pleasant, sorrowful and gut wrenching, or may even turn into a wrestling match with God, which might only take one night or up to years to complete.

 Psalm 4:3  says; But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him

1st Thessalonians 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

I do not believe we will ever entered a lonely place without there being a reason for it. We may enter loneliness, and come out of it, without ever knowing why, but this does not mean it was of no use. There are times when we know exactly why, but Regardless of what we think we know or not, I'm certain the lonely place has a specific purpose for all of us. Each lonely place we come to should be taken as an opportunity divinely engineered. While there, we should welcome any changes to our lives the Father has in mind. It is a holy time, indeed. It is a time when God has set us apart from everyone else. Our lives, for His purposes, are the center of attention while we are totally alone with Him. If relationship and fellowship with God does not work during the lonely times, it will work nowhere else.

The Proper Responses to Loneliness

• Acceptance
• Prayer
• Bible Study
• Yielding to God's Will
• Patience
• Fasting
• Worship

The Improper Responses to Loneliness

• Fretting
• Impatience
• Refusal to pray
• Hating God
• Refusal to yield to God's Will