As a Sparrow Alone
Today’s Verse:
I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. ~Psalm 102:6-7
Loneliness is when someone has been left all by himself. It is an utterly desolate and discouraging feeling of abandonment. You feel like everyone in your life has left you and you are by yourself. You feel friendless, solitary, and hollow on the inside. The psalmist describes his loneliness as a pelican in the wilderness, an owl of the desert, and a sparrow alone upon the house top.
We see the reason.
The feeling of loneliness hits us when we go through extreme times of difficulty, heavy burden-bearing, and trouble. We are so overwhelmed by our burdens that we feel unsociable and withdraw from contact with other people, even loved ones. We find ourselves unable to communicate in words how we feel. Our minds imagine the end of our problem being much worse than perhaps it might be. We do not see a positive culmination to our trouble, but, instead, the worst-case scenario. We feel like we are unable to survive under this circumstance, and even wish to die and be rid of our misery.
We see the reclusiveness.
The psalmist refers to himself as a pelican in the wilderness, an owl in the desert, and a sparrow alone on a house top. These colorful references speak of a deep sadness and solitude in a time of trial. In spite of the desperate and lonely feelings, each of these descriptions is a reminder that God is using these circumstances for His glory in our lives. We might feel all alone, but God is with us! We might be all alone, but it is during those moments that we listen for the still, small voice of God.
We see the request.
When loneliness hits us, it is time to pour out our hearts in intense prayer to God. “Hide not thy face Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.” We must be transparent with God about what we are going through and how we feel. We must confess any known sin to Him. We must acknowledge our complete and total dependence upon God in faith and trust. We must wait on the Lord and be still. We must submit to God by praying, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”
We see the remembrance.
First, God hears our prayers. “He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.” Second, God is in control. “They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” We must remember that our circumstance does not alter Who God is. He is eternal and unchanging. Whatever God does, it is good. Third, our affliction causes us to trust in God’s Word and draw closer to Him than before we were afflicted.
Don’t let your loneliness leave you in the wilderness, in the desert, or alone on the housetop. See your situation as a means to draw you closer to God and to be strengthened in your spirit. Pray and depend on God as your hope in time of trouble.
Have an encouraged God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Chronicles 25-27