A Solitary Way: November 2017
Table of Contents
A Solitary Way
“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Gen. 2:18). God designed man for companionship. He created him to have fellowship with Himself. Without it man’s nature cannot rest. Sin and the results of sin, such as death, have separated man from God and often man from man. The result has been aloneness and loneliness, which all have experienced from time to time. The perfect man, the Lord Jesus, was often alone among men, for they did not understand His thoughts, feelings and motives. But except for the forsaking on the cross, he was never alone or lonely in his fellowship with God. We, too, experience being alone and being without companionship at times among men. But the One who perfectly knows and understands our feelings and needs, has said to us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:6). May we give joy to His heart by not turning our backs on His love, comfort and fellowship and by not breaking communion with Him through sin. We must learn not to ignore His presence by self occupation with our failed or broken relationships with others, which lead to the feelings of bitterness and that nobody cares. He is and forever will be the “friend that sticketh closer than a brother”—the One who says, “It is I; be not afraid.”
A Solitary Way
There is a mystery in human hearts,
And though we be encircled by a host
Of those who love us well, and are beloved,
To every one of us, from time to time,
There comes a sense of utter loneliness;
Our dearest friend is “stranger” to our joy,
And cannot realize our bitterness.
“There is not one who really understands,
Not one to enter into all I feel”—
Such is the cry of each of us in turn;
We wander in ”a solitary way,”
No matter what or where our lot may be;
Each heart, mysterious even to itself,
Must live its inner life in solitude.
And would you know the reason why this is?
It is because the Lord desires our love;
In every heart He wishes to be first;
He therefore keeps the secret key Himself,
To open all its chambers, and to bless
With perfect sympathy and holy peace
Each solitary soul which comes to Him.
So when we feel this loneliness, it is
The voice of Jesus saying, “Come to Me”;
And every time we are “not understood,”
It is a call to us to come again:
For Christ alone can satisfy the soul;
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have ”a solitary way.”
And when beneath some heavy cross you faint
And say, “I cannot bear this load alone,”
You say the truth; Christ made it purposely
So heavy that you must return to Him;
The bitter grief, which “no one understands,”
Conveys a secret message from Himself,
Entreating you to come to Him again.
The ”Man of sorrows” understands it well;
“In all points tempted,” He can feel with you;
You cannot come too often, or too near;
The Son of God is infinite in grace;
His presence satisfies the longing soul;
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have ”a solitary way.”
Author unknown
Being Alone and Being Lonely
A twentieth-century philosopher once made the somewhat perceptive statement that “loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.” For some, being alone and being lonely are synonymous words; to be alone is to be lonely. For others, social interaction is valued as an occasional experience, but for the most part they are happiest when living and working in solitude. However, the Lord Himself said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18), for God has created man with a basic need to be loved and understood. Despite variations in personalities and preferences, too much of being alone affects all of us adversely. In prisons it is a well-known form of punishment to place inmates in solitary confinement for a period of time.
God’s View
To look at loneliness and being alone in a right light, we must go back to God’s Word and see God’s view of it. We read in Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” This creation includes man — the summit of God’s creation. More than this, we read that when God created man, He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Not only was man in need of human companionship in this world, but he was also able to have fellowship with God Himself. God was creating those who could respond to His love and His claims. God was sufficient unto Himself in everything except in His love; He must have objects to love.
But we all know what happened. Man believed Satan instead of trusting God and, in disobeying the one command God had given him, spoiled his relationship with God. The resultant estrangement between man and God, with all the sorrows sin has caused, has been the real cause of the heartache and sorrow in this world. Loneliness has been one of those by-products of sin, and it is very prevalent today. The Internet has brought to light the magnitude of the problem. It has been estimated that at any one time, there are about one billion people online in the world. Of these, about half are conducting business or corresponding with friends, while the other half are seeking for love and a relationship. But our age of social media, while it has made communication with others dramatically easier, has not really brought people together or solved the problem of loneliness. Many people feel more isolated and lonely than ever.
And yet there are those who have led happy, productive and fulfilled lives, despite the fact that they have been alone much of the time. Although such individuals tend to be rare today, they are a pleasure to meet and to get to know. They seem to radiate an inner peace and energy that does not depend on others. They are able to interact with the world and with people, but they are not dependent on them. Companionship is welcome when it is available, but if not, they are content to go on by themselves. Such people too are usually busy, and time does not “hang on their hands.”
Loneliness and Aging
Of course, some may say that all this is fine as long as one has health, some money, and perhaps some real and personal interests that occupy the time. But what about those who are older, those whose health is failing, those who cannot get out and do much, or those who cannot pursue a particular hobby or interest? Is there an answer to the loneliness that can easily develop, or the feelings of worthlessness and self-pity that can creep into our hearts?
We have already touched on this subject in an article in a previous issue of The Christian (September 2016), where we noticed that even the world recognizes that to have a meaningful life, we need to have a cause beyond ourselves. This simple fact is so important that perhaps it is not out of place to mention it again. The individual who is occupied with himself is never happy, nor ever can be. Of course, the world never gets beyond itself, and even a cause outside of ourselves, while it may provide tremendous help for those who feel lonely and need stimulation, can never really satisfy the heart. Man’s heart is too big for anything in this world to fill it. God created our hearts, and only He can fill them.
First of all, it is important to recognize that there is no perfect answer down here, in this world. We live in a world of sin, and as Christians our bodies are still subject to aging and disease. Until we are called home, we can never be perfectly happy, because our blessed Savior is absent. The hymnwriter put it well: “What can full joy and blessing be, but being where Thou art?” When we lose a loved one in death, especially a spouse, loneliness is there and cannot be denied. An older widow recently confided to me that one of the hardest things was suddenly having to go to bed alone. There is no really complete remedy for this.
The Right Perspective
But to get the right perspective on anything in this world, we must bring Christ in, and this is true of the subject we are discussing. Was He lonely during His pathway in this world? Undoubtedly He was, although the actual word is not used in Scripture, and in applying this word to our blessed Lord, we must be careful to define our terms. The Lord Jesus was not sad or unhappy because He was often alone, but there is no doubt that He felt the lack of sympathetic and friendly companionship. How many times we find Him alone, having no one who could really understand! Even among crowds, how seldom were there those who really sympathized with Him or understood His mission here in this world! His example shows us how to handle the challenge of being alone or being loneliness.
To walk in the steps of the Master is often to be alone — to understand, at least to some extent, what He went through in this world. It is to suffer with Christ, a most valuable experience and one that we will remember for all eternity. Many believers down through the ages have suffered for Christ, and we would not demean this in any way. Their faithfulness under torture, even unto death, will win them the crown of life. But suffering with Christ is deeper and identifies us with His inner thoughts, His feelings. It is a rare privilege, as one of His greatest sufferings during His earthly ministry was the fact that most of the time no one understood Him.
Unbroken Fellowship
What then is the answer to being alone, and perhaps also being lonely? The first and foremost answer is that solitude gives us an opportunity to enjoy unbroken fellowship with our Lord and Savior. True communion with Him is always important, but sometimes in the busy stream of life our human interactions stand in the way of a deeper acquaintance with our blessed Lord. When we are alone much of the time, it is a chance to develop a richer relationship with the One with whom we shall spend all eternity. If this chance is afforded to us, let us not miss it.
However, we are still in this world, and again, the example of our blessed Lord shows us the way. We read of Him, “In the daytime He was teaching in the temple; and at night He went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives” (Luke 21:37). This was the pattern of His life — time alone with His Father, and then untiring service to man. So it should be with us. If we find ourselves alone, we should use the time, first of all, to cultivate a fuller relationship with our Lord. But we should also look for opportunities to be of service to others and to alleviate their burdens, if possible. To find our joy in serving others is not only to be like Christ; it is to bring joy to ourselves too. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Prov. 11:25). To serve others is not only to bring them joy; it will cause our own hearts to overflow. If we are busy serving others, we will not have time to feel lonely or feel sorry for ourselves. I well remember many years ago reading of a doctor who was faced with a woman who was constantly taken up with herself, and thus developed many ailments, most of which had a large psychosomatic component. He finally gave her an unusual prescription: “Do something for someone else.” It was good advice, for those who are taken up with self-pity or find life “boring” will find that being occupied with the needs of others lifts them above their own problems.
But some may say, “What if you are old or weak in the body and find it difficult to serve others?” We admit that this casts us on the Lord, and there is no easy solution. But nothing is of greater service than prayer, and nothing touches a caregiver more than a joyful spirit. The same Jesus of whom it was said, “All the disciples forsook Him, and fled” (Matt. 26:56), assures us that “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). How good it is to be able to go through life’s lonely times in the company of the One who truly understands, for He has felt the same! “In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest ... for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:17-18).
W. J. Prost
Jesus - The Solitary Man
Jesus-Emmanuel made everything His own concern, in living obedience to His Father or in loving sympathies with all around Him. The Gospel by Luke takes us along the lonely paths of this oftentimes solitary Man, though never an isolated One. In the midst of His own sorrows and sufferings He carried on in moral perfectness, where none but He could make a path for Himself. And then while in that path, where He manifested devotedness to God, obedience as a servant, sympathy as a man, and sufferings in grace, He would cry to God concerning such trials and sorrows, and He was alone when He cried to be heard and answered. He was the solitary Man. How could this be with Him, who had come down into the realm of God’s dishonor and of Satan’s triumph and the place of man’s disgrace and defeat? In such a place He was always about “the Father’s business.” We find Him throughout Luke as the dependent but confident One. “He withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed”; when He left the wilderness, Luke tells us, “It came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” What a night was this! The Son of man upon this earth, taking on Himself all the failures and liabilities of men in their relation to the powers of God in righteousness, justifying the Judge of the whole earth by accepting the consequences of their disobedience, and making that the very starting-point of His own walk with God and men below. Where could He look but to heaven? With whom could He speak on matters like these, but with the Jehovah of Israel? And to whom could He pray but to Him who accredited this Son of man at the outset by the voice from the opened heavens, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased?” Our blessed Lord not only takes all these accumulated liabilities on Himself and glorifies God by their means, but, while doing this in righteous obedience and suffering, He carries all their weight and pressure to God and in “the night seasons” is not silent; yes, He says, I will meditate on thee in the “night watches.” He was the true Israelite, the Messiah and Head of that people; thus “the Spirit of God, like a dove descending, lighted upon him,” or as the annunciation by the angel declared to Mary, “That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
From The Bible Treasury
Loneliness and Care
Deep down in the innermost recesses of every human spirit loneliness is felt, until the truth is known that God cares. Man has lost God, and he is bound to feel alone until God is met with again. He is to be met with in the person of the One who portrayed Himself as the Good Samaritan. “A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.” The underlying truth here is that God is ever seeking man, and He is seeking him in order to help, for it is as true that God has lost man as it is that man has lost God. Man without God! It is an anomaly, since God made man and gave him all his powers, moral as well as physical. Try as he will, man cannot go on without his Maker, any more than he can go on without his fellow-man. The utterance of Martha to the Lord Jesus, “Dost thou not care,” expresses this truth. However much we may try to disguise it, a feeling of loneliness and neglect will steal over us some time or other, and it is just this feeling of loneliness and neglect that is the fruitful source of all care. Life is too great for us alone, its strain too severe, its demands more than we can meet, and the final issue too wonderful and far reaching for any of us to handle unaided.
The Care of the Good Samaritan
It is just this which helps us to see how marvelously the teaching of Christ fits into the existing state of things. The parable of the good Samaritan presents to us precisely a picture of absolute loneliness and neglect and introduces to our notice the One who relieved both. Who could be more lonely and uncared for than the man who fell among thieves? They stripped him; they wounded him; they left him. Especially must he have felt his loneliness when others came near and, having looked on him, passed by on the other side. Yet, who could be less alone or better cared for afterwards? Taken to the inn and left in the charge of the host, nothing was lacking. “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” If only we would believe that this represents God and that He is perfectly willing to pay as much attention to everyone who will allow Him, could we have any care?
No doubt we are ready to say, “It seems too good to be true. Is there One so great, so mighty, willing to take care of me?” There is only one answer: He is willing and He is able. Then perhaps the question will become intensely personal: Will He do it for me? I have no claim upon such kindness. Neither had the man by the roadside any claim upon the Samaritan, except that necessity always has a claim upon love. And this is the whole point. God is now acting from Himself, according to the dictates of His own love. It is grace, and the parable is intended to show us what we could not demand and did not deserve — His love. God is demonstrating the fact that He can love us in spite of our imperfection. The action of the Good Samaritan was all of grace. This is how God would deal with us. How slow we are to understand it!
Martha’s Care
Martha did not understand it, and consequently she was careful and troubled about many things. Within her own little sphere she thought she had to look after everything, as though there was no one at the head of affairs and no one to look after men and women. She was doing her best, but she was not at rest. She represents not a few, who, while desiring to please God and to serve Him, have not learned how great a pleasure it is for Him to serve them and that His service must precede theirs. The difference between Martha and Mary — the one cumbered, the other at rest at the feet of Jesus — was mainly the difference between the man by the roadside and the man in the inn. The man by the roadside might well have said to the priest and the Levite, “Do you not care that I am left alone?” The man in the inn could not have said so to the Samaritan. We could not imagine such a thing. We can imagine him sitting at the feet of his benefactor, looking up into his face, and perhaps wondering in his mind, Is there anything I can do for him when I become strong enough? Christ does not ask us for one bit of service until we know from personal experience how He has served us. It is a striking fact that although the wounded man had received so much kindness and was to receive more, he is not asked by his benefactor to do one single thing in return.
The Threefold Lesson
Have we learned the threefold lesson of this parable? Have we made the acquaintance of One who can remove our guilt, give us strength and relieve our care? In the words of the parable, “He bound up his wounds”; “he set him on his own beast”; “he brought him to an inn.” If so, shall we not have less care? God would not have us bear our cares any more than He would have us bear our sins. “Casting all your care upon Him,” He says, “for He careth for you.” Does not this one verse of Scripture meet the twofold need, that of being lonely and uncared for, expressed in Martha’s appeal, “Dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?” “Casting all your care upon Him” — this meets the loneliness — ”for He careth for you” — this meets the care. We have Him, whoever else may go, and He cares.
“Never alone and always cared for” describes the happy condition of the man in the inn while he waited to see the face of his friend. It may be and ought to be the experience of those who wait to see His face.
R. Elliott (adapted)
The Gift of Solitude
Often in our situations in life, it is not so much what they make of us, but rather what we make of them. It has been said before, and truthfully, that the secret of a happy Christian pathway is to take our circumstances from the Lord and our difficulties to the Lord. This is true in every phase of our lives, and especially if we find ourselves alone. Do we react with resentment and self-pity, or do we take it as a gift from God, to be used for Him and His glory?
The Valley of Baca
In Psalm 84:6 we read of those who, “passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a well-spring; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings” (JND). The word “Baca” means “weeping” and aptly describes the difficult circumstances that sometimes come into our lives. The Lord does not condemn the weeping, for our Lord wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11), and He understands our tears. But we notice here that there were those who made the valley of Baca into a well-spring. It was not naturally so, but rather a valley of weeping. Yet those who accepted it from the Lord were able to turn it around and make it a blessing. This can be done only in communion from the Lord and requires spiritual energy, for we are certainly no well-spring in ourselves. But we read in John 4:14, “The water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life” (JND). More than this, we also read that “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The new life within the believer, energized by the Spirit of God and using the Word of God, not only gives us a fountain of joy within, but also causes an outflow of blessing to others. God also adds His blessing from above to this, for He gives the rain that “covereth it with blessings.”
Substitute Companionships
Many young people today are lonely, and perhaps think that if only they could find a suitable partner, all would be well. This is evidenced by the vast numbers of people who use the Internet and other social media to seek for companionship. It is not wrong to wish for a companion, for it was God Himself who said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Also, God Himself came down to commune with His creatures “in the cool of the day,” for He delighted to enjoy the fellowship of those whom He had created in His image and likeness. However, for us to look for our happiness in marriage when we are not happy in being single is usually to be disappointed. How often our unhappiness is rooted in self, and when the gratification of self is the basis on which we enter into marriage, it is a prescription for disaster. If we cannot overcome and enjoy a single life walking with the Lord, we will not find that marriage will solve the problem.
The Example of the Lord Jesus
In all of this we see the perfect example in the Lord Jesus. It was said prophetically of Him, “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop” (Psa. 102:7). He came into this world as the corn of wheat that must “fall into the ground and die” (John 12:24), but when He died, He brought forth “much fruit.” Although His life was spent amid crowds of people, healing, feeding and preaching, yet there was rarely one who entered into His thoughts and feelings and who had intelligent sympathy toward Him. Yet our Lord took this “valley of Baca” and did indeed make it a well-spring, culminating in His supreme sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. That well-spring has brought salvation to millions, and the blessing will flow for all eternity.
That work on the cross has purchased His bride for Him, yet He has waited nearly 2000 years while that bride is being called out of this world. He too is patient, waiting for that bride to be complete, so that He can come and receive her to Himself. Surely His desire to have us there far exceeds our desire to be there, and God would have us to know something of this. Paul could wish for the Thessalonians that the Lord would direct their hearts “into the love of God, and into the patience of the Christ” (2 Thess. 3:5 JND). To know something of His heart and the longing with which He waits for the fulfillment of His desire is to take us out of ourselves and to see eternal realities from God’s side. To see our experience down here in the light of eternity gives a perspective that ministers peace and rest to our souls. He wants to give us His peace — the peace that accepted all from the Father and sought only to do the Father’s will. It was the doing of His Father’s will—and to be able to go back to heaven having done so—that was the “joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2). We too can have that same joy, for the Lord’s pathway in this sense is an example for us.
The Millennial Example
In the millennial day God will indeed be “a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows.” He also “setteth the solitary in families” (Psa. 68:5-6), or “maketh the solitary to dwell in a home” (footnote, JND). If God will do this for His earthly people in a coming day, surely He is able to make it up to those of His church who, in the world of today, find themselves deprived of natural relationships that they would love to enjoy. He may not always provide the human substitute for what is lacking, but His presence is always blessing. “Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee” (Psa. 63:3).
The joy of being a spiritual parent to others (brother, sister, son, daughter — whatever relationship may be possible) can be a wonderful and blessed experience.
However, in the final essence, our hearts ought to be able to ask the Lord how we can glorify Him in whatever situation we find ourselves. If our motive is to give Him joy, we need not be concerned about our own happiness, for He will look after that for us.
W. J. Prost
The Loneliness of the Aging Pilgrim
In your long experience of life you will doubtless have observed that one of the most distressing things about old age is its loneliness.
A minister of the gospel in America, who conducts a newspaper feature entitled “Everyday Living,” which reaches millions of people, receives, in the course of his work, mountains of letters on the practical problems of life. From thousands of these letters he learns that “Private Enemy Number One” in human life is Fear, “Number Two” is Worry, and “Number Three,” Loneliness. The last-named of these three disturbers of the heart’s peace is the one of which we become increasingly conscious as the years speed over our heads, for one by one our loved ones pass from us, until ultimately we find ourselves alone. In the case of an ideally happy marriage, the loss of either partner can occasion great sorrow; always in the heart of the one who is left there is the cry for “the touch of the vanished hand and the sound of the voice that is still.”
Our heavenly Father is not unmindful of our need of companionship during the days of our years upon the earth, and He has made gracious provision for it. We are now, therefore, to examine that provision, and, as we do so, we shall find that whereas our human friendships are subject to the vicissitudes of time, the Divine Comradeship is independent of them—that while they may be shattered at any moment, this shall abide till traveling days are done.
God’s Promises
The first outstanding promise that God would be with His people is that which was given to Jacob in Genesis 28:13-16: “Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.” That promise, adapted to circumstances, was repeated to Moses (Ex. 3:12) and to Joshua (Josh. 1:5).
If we take God’s further promise to Moses in Exodus 33:14 — ”My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” — as a kind of motto, we shall find that it can be applied to all the forms of trial that we may encounter on our way to the heavenly land. Thus, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” — in the midst of conflict (Ex. 33:14); courage, in the hour of danger (Isa. 41:10); companionship, in times of sorrow (Isa. 43:2); confidence, as we tread the valley of the shadow of death (Psa. 23:4).
Passing to the New Testament, we observe that while Matthew’s Gospel opens with the announcement of the coming Savior (Matt. 1:21), it closes with the assurance of the perpetual presence of the Savior who has come: “Behold I am with you all the days” (Matt. 28:20 JND). All the days — in winter days, when joys are fled; in sunless days, when the clouds return again and again after rain; in days of sickness and pain; in days of temptation and perplexity, as much as in days when the heart is as full of joy as the woodlands in spring are full of song. That day never comes when the Lord Jesus is not at the side of His saints. Lover and friend may stand afar, but He walks with them through the fires; He fords with them the rivers; He stands by them when face to face with the lion. We can never be alone. Of Him it can truthfully be affirmed that He will never bid us “Goodbye” (Heb. 13:5).
Past, Present and Future
There are three great Biblical names, whose spiritual meanings unfold what God can be to His people during the days of their pilgrimage. These words cover, not only the special need of which we have been thinking, but also every problem and difficulty which we may encounter as we journey to the Land of Rest. The first is “Ebenezer,” which means, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (1 Sam. 7:12). The second is “Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). The third is “Jehovah-Jireh,” which means, “The Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14).
“Ebenezer “ — with all the happy memories that it recalls — is the only word that adequately explains the past. “Emmanuel” — with all the wealth of comradeship that it connotes — is the only word that can give assurance for the present. “Jehovah-Jireh” — with all the boundless provision that it implies — is the only word that can impart confidence as we face the future.
Two Examples
And now let me give you two illustrations of how these things work out in actual experience. One of them is from the Bible, and the other from church history.
Joseph, who was destined to occupy a unique place in the development of God’s earthly purposes, had been ruthlessly torn from his home and was eventually sold as a slave to Potiphar, an officer of the Egyptian guard (Gen. 39:1). But we read that in these dire circumstances the Lord was with His young servant and that he was a prosperous man (Gen. 39:2). Later on, he was charged with a grave offense of which he was innocent, and he was cast into prison (Gen. 39:19-20). But again, it is stated that, even there, God was with this noble man: “The Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Gen. 39:21-23). If we are living in unclouded fellowship with God, “stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.” Joseph proved that His divine Friend was as really with him in the pit and in the dungeon as He was when, later on, by the exercise of divinely imparted wisdom, he saved the Egyptian empire from annihilation.
John Chrysostom was the most eloquent preacher of his age. Because of his loyalty to God and truth, he came under the ban of the emperor and by him was driven into exile. Writing to a friend from his wilderness home, this eminent servant of Christ said, “You lament my banishment, but since I knew that heaven was my country, I have esteemed the whole earth as a place of exile. Constantinople, from which I am expelled, is as distant from Paradise as is the desert to which they send me.” To the man who could use such language, God was the ever-present Helper, the never-failing Friend.
Beloved children of the King, let us ever remember, as friend after friend departs, that the God who lived in Joseph’s time and in John Chrysostom’s time is just the same today. He remains (Heb. 1:2); He abides, and “the wilderness and the solitary place” may even yet become the place of “joy and singing.”
Let us close with the message which comes to us from Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
H. Durbanville (from The Best Is Yet to Be)
Three Widows of Luke's Gospel
In the Lord’s absence He makes known to us His support according as we feel His absence. If the Bridegroom is absent, what can the children of the bridechamber do but fast (Matt. 9:15)? What else is their true and befitting attitude in the day in which He is, in one sense, taken away from them? If we realized this position of ours better and felt more the absence of our Lord, we should more easily and happily ally ourselves to that which causes His absence — to His death. His death, on the one hand, is the climax of His rejection from the earth; on the other hand, the portal to us of life and glory. And it is according as we enter into the one that we practically learn the other. It is as we realize the desolation here, of which He so deeply tasted, that we know the blessing and deliverance which He has secured for us.
The Widow of Nain
There are three orders of desolation, or widowhood, presented to us in the Gospel of Luke. The first (ch. 7:11-16) is found at Nain (which means “beautiful”). The world in itself is beautiful, but at the gate of the city — what a sight! A young man dead, the only son of his mother, and she a widow! To her, however beautiful the place, all hope and light had departed from it. Not only widowed, but bereaved of her only son, her last link is severed; the desolation is complete. But what is the resource to her, or to one now similarly desolate? It is Christ, known in resurrection power, and the very fact of her desolation gives occasion to this knowledge of Him. If she had not been so desolate, she would not have known this resurrection power. Her widowhood and her desolation become a gain to her, for through it all she learns the resources that are in Him. To be a widow of this order is to be with Christ and to know His help. But unless we take our place as such, we shall not know Him thus. Abraham took his place in power when he offered up Isaac. Jacob took it when, on his deathbed, he turns for a moment from the earthly prospects of others to the spot where his own were buried and says, “As for me... Rachel died by me... and I buried her... in the way of Ephrath” (Gen. 48:7). Whatever the occasion — whatever brings us into real widowhood—brings us into blessing and likeness to Christ, for it is there that we take His yoke upon us and learn of Him.
The Widow Who Persisted
The next order of widowhood we find in chapter 18. Here the desolate one is not even left unmolested. Great as is her desolation and inability to help herself, still she is not without an adversary, and power is in his hand. Hers is not simple desolation — an enemy is at hand wielding his power against her. But what is the resource here? “Shall not God avenge His own elect?” We are to pray and not to faint. David at Ziklag was in such a position as this (1 Sam. 30). Widowed of everything, he was also in danger of the adversary, but he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” And the greater his sense of desolation, the greater was his sense afterward of God’s succor to him and the avenging of his enemies.
The Widow Who Gave All
The third order is in chapter 21, and there it is the highest order. The widow answers to her calling; she is spending her all for the testimony of God. It is but two mites, and she might, one would say, have spent them, or one of them, on herself, but no, she will spend it on the temple — the structure of testimony for God on the earth. She is a real widow, and that in the highest sense, for she is not only without expectation, but she had so far forgotten herself that the little possession left to her she will not spend on herself. Her heart being in the circle of God’s interests, she will give it to Him, and that without fear, but in simple and happy devotion to His interests on the earth which has no other interest for her. Paul in Philippians is a widow of this order — in prison — without an interest in anything here but what was for Christ’s glory. He would spend his all on that. To him, to live was Christ.
Christian Truth (adapted)
Widows Indeed
The widow is often seen in Scripture as the special object of the thoughts of God. But it is not until we come to the 1 Timothy that we have the indication of those who are widows according to the divine mind. The Apostle directs Timothy, and us through Timothy, to honor such, showing the place which they should occupy among the saints of God.
Three characteristics are given of the “widow indeed.” She is “desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day” (1 Tim. 5:5). It is remarkable that three widows are found in the Gospel of Luke who exactly answer to the particulars of this description. The widow of Nain, whose son was being carried out for burial when met by our blessed Lord, was truly the desolate one (Luke 7). The poor widow who cast her two mites into the treasury was surely one who trusted in God (Luke 21). And in Anna we find the last characteristic, for it is said of her that “she ... departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37).
The Desolate
Spiritually, nothing could be more beautiful than the widow who is so portrayed, but it must be remembered that her desolation is only on the side of earth. Her very bereft condition has been the means, in the dealings of the God of all comfort, of her choicest blessing. It is precisely here where the application to the church may be seen. It is when the church realizes her widowhood, as far as earth is concerned, that she enters most fully upon the enjoyment of the boundless affections of her Lord. More than this, her entire dependence on Him is consciously intensified, and out of this grows her continual supplications and prayers night and day. In the “widow indeed” we have a perfect picture of the church on earth. The characteristics given are moreover seen in our blessed Lord Himself. He was alone, had not where to lay His head, and none on earth had real fellowship with Him. He trusted in God, and He was constantly occupied in prayer (Luke 5:12,16). Every believer therefore should be distinguished in this way.
Living in Pleasure
The apostle having portrayed the true widow, supplies the contrast in the one “that liveth in pleasure” and who “is dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6). Such an one is false to her character, denying that she is a widow, and using her lonely condition as an opportunity to gratify her inclinations and worldly desires, instead of hearing the voice of Him who speaks to her through her sorrows. So living, she is dead — dead toward God, in the midst of her pleasures. We have the counterpart of such a widow in the Apocalypse, together with the certainty of her coming doom. “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her” (Rev. 18:7-8). Such is the doom of Babylon, which, while claiming to be the spouse of Christ, was nothing but an apostate harlot, who “was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications” (Rev. 17:4).
The Assembly’s Responsibility
Further, the apostle gives Timothy directions as to the action of the assembly in relation to widows. It is very noteworthy that the first difficulty in the church arose in connection with them (See Acts 6:1). It shows that they were a numerous class even in the Pentecostal church, and it would seem, from the instruction given to Timothy, that some will always be found among the saints of God. This is a blessed thought, for as another has said, “God often dims the brightness of this world, in order to attract the vision to the glory beyond.” If therefore He makes a widow, it is that He might wean her from earth, and win her to Himself. But the point here is, that the widow in her needs might be an embarrassment to the church. Hence the apostle gives specific instruction about who should “be taken into the number” (1 Tim. 5:9-10). By this we understand that only those who answer to the description here given were to be formally linked with the assembly; i.e. recognized as entitled to regular support. Others might of course be ministered to privately by the saints, or occasionally by the church, but none but these were to be put down in the list of those who had undeniable claims upon the funds of the assembly. It would have saved the church much perplexity if this wisdom of God had governed in this particular. It will also be observed that age, in and by itself, does not give the needful qualification. She must not have been twice married, and she must be well reported of, both as to her home duties and as to her activities in the Lord’s service. The character of her good works — works which are therefore according to the mind of God — might well be commended for consideration to many in a day like this of incessant and ever-increasing activity.
Widows Behavior
The younger widows are to be refused; that is, we judge, not to “be taken into the number.” The reason is given. “For when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ; they will marry: having damnation [or being guilty] because they have cast off their first faith” (1 Tim. 5:11).Their “first faith” would probably mean that in the time of their bereavement, when the Lord drew them through their grief near to Himself, they devoted themselves entirely to Him. But, losing heart for Christ, “they will” — or rather, they wish to — “marry,” finding themselves unable in such a state of soul to lean for all the support they need on Christ; and thus they turn with longing desire to human affections and strength. An unsatisfied heart is the source of much sin, as the next verse most surely reveals. “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not” (vs. 13). This behavior has been a source of unhappiness and sorrow in the church of God in every age. The antidote is — “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (vs. 14). The term “younger women” is perhaps general, though with special reference to widows. The home is the appointed sphere of service for all such, if they would be in subjection to the Lord, and in comparative shelter from the snares of Satan. One other word is given to define the responsibilities of believers towards the widows of their own families, and this in order that the church may be free to “relieve them that are widows indeed.”
“Widows Indeed”
We may gather from the consideration of this scripture some useful lessons. First, we learn what a heart God has for those who are truly widows. Evidences of this are found both in the Old and New Testament Scriptures. It follows, therefore, that if we would be in fellowship with Him, they should ever be the objects of our loving care and ministry. Lastly, we may gather from these directions to Timothy what an important sphere of service a “widow indeed” occupies before God. Anna is an example of this among the little remnant that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. In her continual fastings and prayers she had been brought into communion with the mind of God. She was, therefore, led into the temple at the moment when the infant Jesus was being presented to Jehovah; her heart was filled with joy, her lips with praise, and she went forth as the messenger of the glad tidings of the Christ to those who had looked for this blessed time.
Where, then, are the “widows indeed” of the present day? Morally we occupy the same position as that of the little band in Jerusalem. Like them, we are expecting our Lord; meanwhile, God calls those who are truly widows to be occupied with fasting and prayers, that thereby they may be the means of kindling anew in many hearts the blessed hope of the Lord’s return. There are many to serve in labors of love, but there is even a greater need for the service of those who, like Epaphras, know how to labor fervently for the saints in prayers. It is this service to which the “widows indeed” are called and for which they have been divinely qualified.
E. Dennett (adapted)
Not Lonely
Lonely? No, not lonely
With Jesus standing by;
His presence always cheers me;
I know that He is nigh.
Friendless? No, not friendless
Since Jesus is my Friend;
I change, but He remaineth
True, faithful to the end.
Saddened? No, not saddened
By scenes of deepest woe;
I should be if I knew not
That Jesus loves me so.
Tired? No, not tired
While leaning on His breast;
My has full enjoyment
Of His eternal rest.
C. S. C. Panton