Travel Weary?
As I travel along in my journey each week, I often have moments where I feel alone. Or perhaps I just feel weary. You might experience the same thing. There are several things I do when I start finding myself losing focus and feeling alone.
First, the Word of God
Spending time in the Word every day is absolutely indispensable- without this daily connection to Christ we can start shriveling up on the Vine. Many days when I start feeling alone, it has less to do with actually being alone physically and more to do with trying to ‘go it alone’ spiritually. We were designed by our Creator to have daily fellowship with Him.
Also, the Bible is where we read accounts of other servants of God who have felt alone and discouraged. Elijah, for example. He was so discouraged he wanted to die and be with God. But God told him, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 19)
Second, the Fellowship of the Saints
Spending time with other Christians is absolutely vital. We need each other. The Spirit of Christ in each of us encourages us when we bump into each other during the week. Plan to ‘bump’ into other Believers. Not just Sunday morning, but all throughout the week. Talk about your faith on purpose.
This part of dealing with feeling alone seems very basic, but it is profound. Choose to not be alone. Connect with fellow Christians, even if it means phone calls, emails, or social media. Be intentional.
Third, Awareness of the Church in the rest of the world
One of my all time favorite strategies for those times when I feel disconnected or alone is to choose to be reminded of the Kingdom of Christ throughout the world. There are a number of things I do on purpose in order to be aware of what is happening in the Church around the world. Here are two of them.
The Lausanne Movement. I have signed up for email updates from the Lausanne Movement, you can see the latest one at this link. This is a group of Christians representing many nations from around the world, on purpose meeting to discuss things that are close to our hearts as Believers. I have never been to one of the gatherings, but I hope some day I can be. Until then I have signed up for the email updates and I occasionally read things on the website.
Dispatches From the Front. This film series from Frontline Missions International and Dr. Tim Keesee are powerful. You can be transported around the world and see how the body of Christ is functioning. Dr. Keesee’s perspective is absolutely refreshing and encouraging. I highly recommend getting this whole set and watching them with your family.
Here is the trailer of the one I watched most recently:
This 15 minute video shows the backstory and the motivation for Dr. Tim Keesee:
And this video explains the vision behind this film series.
You can see all the trailers here at this link: https://www.dispatchesfromthefront.org/
Take heart! God is at work all around the world! You are not alone. Press in to the Word. Be intentional about connecting with other Believers. Educate yourself about the work of God around the world.
Blessings!
-Pastor Joseph