You Are Not Alone

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” John 14:16

If I were to make a list of all the negative feelings we deal with in life, I would have to say the feeling of isolation would be at the top of the list. There is nothing in life worse than feeling you are alone, even when you may be standing in a crowd. You feel like no one else knows what you are dealing with or going through at that moment. That mindset can cause us to make wrong choices, bringing even more pain into our lives. Sadly, this feeling has even driven way too many wonderful people to commit suicide.

I have been watching a program on the History Channel entitled, Alone. It is about ten people who are situated in an isolated place where they live alone completely off the land and its resources. They are allowed to take ten survival items such as a sleeping bag, axe, knife, saw, fishing hooks, etc. The one who lasts the longest wins half a million dollars. The longest time anyone has stayed to date is around 100 days. Sounds easy enough, but it is far from easy.

I have observed several seasons so far and there is one element that continues to cause many of the contestants to give up and go home. Amazingly, it is not the wild bears, wolves, and cougars that pass within inches of their hand-built shelter at night. It is not severe weather such as days of rain and below freezing temperatures. It is not even excessive weight loss due to slow starvation that gets to them. It is isolation, the feeling of aloneness that makes many of the contestants throw in the towel.

Each contestant has a satellite device they can use to contact the show’s base at a moment’s notice in case of emergency. The device also has a button you can push to ‘tap-out’, which means you give up the challenge. Everyone seems somewhat excited, yet apprehensive, when they are dropped off by boat, floating plane, or helicopter to their new remote home. But soon reality sets in, they are all alone to survive the elements, set up shelter, and find as much food as possible before freezing weather sets in. Most contestants do well for a week or so, but eventually the aloneness starts eating away at them.

Like others who watch the program, Kim and I try to guess who will be the next one to give up and go home. After weeks of isolation, even the thoughts of a half a million dollars start to fade and give way to thoughts of spouses, family, friends, and lots and lots of good food. All the bugs, slugs, and weeds just are not enough. The contestants all hope to win the money, but they also have other reasons for going. Some want to “find themselves” and others may desire to see just how much they can take and how far they can go. One thing I have noticed is that if they go trying to escape some problem, it will not be long before that problem will be right there to haunt them.

The Alone series proves a very important point; people do not like to be alone. Even so-called hermits like the companionship of a dog or some type of animal. I found it funny that one contestant, who I was sure would go a long way, had to tap out after he killed a squirrel that had been hanging around his campsite. He broke down when he felt he had killed his little friend, even though it was meat for survival. And even though many of the contestants are experts in survival skills, isolation gets the best of them.

But I can say with confidence that the History Channel was not the first to come up with the idea of Alone. No, that idea was used by one of the craftiest creatures known to mankind for thousands of years. His name is Satan, Lucifer, the father of lies, the dragon, the false accuser, and many other names. Satan has been using the tactic of isolation since the time of creation. Only heaven knows the lives he has destroyed by convincing some poor soul they were all alone and without hope.

I’m sure you have heard his degrading lies from time to time. “You are all alone,” he whispers during your times of confusion and pain. “No one cares about you,” he says when the phone is not ringing. “No one understands you,” he murmurs when your ideas and opinions are rejected. “Your sin is too big this time,” he shouts, drowning out the voice of God. And the bad part is, Satan knows exactly when to attack us. It is when we are weak, confused, weary, disappointed, frustrated, hurting, and discouraged. He is like a lion that seeks out the weak ones in the herd, isolates them, and then devours them.

However, the great news is, as children of God, we are NEVER alone. God and Jesus made us a promise They have been faithful to keep and that is, “We will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Since God created the planet and mankind, He has made Himself available to those who would seek and desire Him. He sent Jesus to die for our sins and bring us into a loving relationship with Him as our Father. And, when Jesus had finished His redemptive work and returned to Heaven, God sent us the precious Holy Spirit. John 14:17 says, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Thank God, we are never, ever alone. We may be weary or under a heavy burden, but we are not alone. We may sin, disobey God’s instruction, or momentarily reject His leading, but we are never alone. God’s presence is not based on our performance or worthiness. It is based on His love and mercy. Yes, He may have to deal with our sin, but He will not forsake us in any way. The Holy Spirit, as the Scripture says, not only dwells with us, but also lives in us. That’s right, He lives in our hearts, souls, and minds. He never, ever abandons us for any reason unless we make a conscience decision to reject His leadership and presence.

Just as people can feel alone in a crowd, we can also feel alone if we do not continually acknowledge the presence of God in our lives, by His Holy Spirit. The contestants of Alone do well until they let their minds get the best of them. We are no different if we let our mind have its way. We must stay spiritually focused on our personal relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We must openly communicate and fellowship with them. Stay in the Word and hold to God’s promises. Realize our feelings cannot always be trusted, but God can. Talk with God often and listen expectantly. Praise God; we even have a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on daily.

You can expect Satan to show up and start his lies, but when he does, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Be watchful for others who may be struggling with aloneness and help them as the Holy Spirit leads. Share with them God’s love and promises.

While only one can win the half million dollars for surviving Alone, as children of God we are never alone, and in Him we are all winners.