You are Not Alone by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

I don’t like crowds.

I prefer quiet restaurants.

Shopping before it gets busy.

Small gatherings.

Yet, over the years, God has placed me in many crowded settings: sports arenas, New York City, an airport, and now, one of the largest churches in the world.

And I’ve been doing some soul searching about why I don’t like to be surrounded by scores of people, and why, knowing this, that God keeps placing me in these venues. I think it’s frustrating because I think the Lord designed me to connect and be a shepherd. It’s impossible to reach everyone in these settings, leading to frustration.

I can feel disconnected. Alone. Even though there are countless souls everywhere.

Maybe you’ve felt like this as well, but I believe God wants us to know that first of all, He is God, and He has the people in His hands. Also, that no matter where we are, He is with us, and that is all that matters. Aloneness is not a feeling originating from above.

As I read through the book of Leviticus and trudge through all of the purity laws, Because I’m fair complected, I wonder how many times I would have been banished outside the Israelites camp because of some skin problem. I would have been tracking down pigeons or turtle doves for a sacrifice, so I could get back into the crowd.

One day while reading, I looked down and saw something on my hand that would qualify as “unclean.” Yup. I would have been outside the camp until I healed, then hunting pigeons. I wonder if the banished Israelites felt lonely as well? God resided in the temple. They could not be in His presence. Separated until they were deemed “clean.”

While Leviticus can be tedious, it has made me more thankful than ever for Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins which means we are never outside the camp and should never feel alone. Large settings. Isolated settings. Crowded places. It doesn’t matter. He says, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Ephesians 3:17 says Christ makes his home in our hearts through faith. We carry Christ in us wherever we go, even into crowds.

So when I am at church, I try to remember this. God is with me. I am there to worship Him. I am there to hear His message. It’s a one-on-one meeting. He has the people in His hands, and if he desires for me to connect, He’ll make it happen.

If you are a Christian, and feeling isolated right now, please know that the Lord is with you. It’s a promise. Start a conversation with Him. Read His Word. He still speaks. He hears you. You are not alone.

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