{"id":9539,"date":"2024-01-10T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=9539"},"modified":"2024-01-01T10:56:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T15:56:31","slug":"9539","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/10\/9539\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Benefit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or where shall I flee from your presence?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 139:7b<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Positive benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, I ran away from home.  Leaving my little house on the hill, I ran to my grandmother\u2019s house, less than a half mile away, and hid under her wrap-around porch.  Sitting quietly in the dimly lit corner, shafts of light shining through the slats, I heard people searching for me but didn\u2019t leave my hiding spot.  At this point in life, I can\u2019t remember what upset me so much I fled the safety of home, but I do recall how much worry I caused my family.  And the relief in my mother\u2019s voice when my grandma found me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike my mother, whose presence I fled that day, we can\u2019t flee from God, a positive benefit to having a Creator.  Whether we believe in the Lord or not, He always knows our hiding spots.  Just like that summer day, I hid under the porch, not alone, but accompanied by my Maker, who knew exactly my whereabouts and the condition of my young heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty-three percent of the world\u2019s population describe themselves as lonely, one in three people in the United States feel alone.  Even more startling, sixty-one percent of younger people feel chronically lonely, and fifty-one percent of mothers with young children report feeling lonely.[i] We have an epidemic of loneliness in our world today, and God offers a solution: a relationship with Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron and I live in a 12,000-person subdivision.  Our house nestles in between several others, with little room in between.  Everywhere I look, I see people, yet one in three of them feel alone.  In my younger years, before I developed the relationship I have with God today, I often felt lonely, and on occasion, I still do.  But knowing God, spending time with Him every day, and looking for His hand at work in the world around me takes away my loneliness and replaces it with confidence in the Lord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor He has said, \u201cI will never leave you nor forsake you.\u201d Hebrews 13:5<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My confidence comes from believing and trusting the promises God made.  When my faith begins to waver, I meditate on scripture.  Meditate means \u201cthink deeply or focus one\u2019s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.\u201d<\/em>[ii]<\/a>Finding and centering my mind on the Lord\u2019s promises helps me weather the storm, building confidence in the Creator\u2019s presence and plan for my life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace the positive benefit of the Lord\u2019s constant presence in your life.  When loneliness begins to overtake you, center Your mind on Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJesus fed 5000, but only 500 followed Him after lunch.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had 12 disciples, but only 3 went further into the garden,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

and only 1 stood with Him at the cross.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closer you get to the cross, the smaller the crowd becomes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unknown<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t let the devil get a foothold with his lies.\u00a0 Even though you may feel alone, God never leaves you.\u00a0 The crowd may get smaller, but the Lord doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 Intimacy with your Maker will fulfill all your needs if you trust Him.\u00a0 Whatever circumstance you face today, God faces it with you.\u00a0 The Lord moves mountains, calms the waves, and whispers in your ear, \u201cI got this.\u201d\u00a0 Trust in Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Never alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from home alone can feel lonely.  Some days, I realize I haven\u2019t seen a soul except my husband.  Life can seem tiny like I live alone in a bubble.  But I recognize feelings lie and don\u2019t reflect reality.  Knowing I can\u2019t flee from God, that He goes with me wherever I go, helps me find victory over feelings of loneliness.  Even though life can seem isolated, God always carries me in His hand, never leaving nor forsaking me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s my constant companion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journaling Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. What makes you feel alone?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. How can God\u2019s presence help you find victory over loneliness?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. How does knowing you can\u2019t flee from God comfort you?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Prayer:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Lord, forgive us for believing our feelings.  The next time feelings of loneliness surround us, help us identify the lie.  Remind us of Your Presence and that wherever we go, You go.  Let our faith grow each day as we rely more and more on You, not getting sucked into the things of this world but centering our thoughts on the hope You offer.  In all things, may You receive the glory and honor.  IJNIP. Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    [i]<\/a> https:\/\/www.crossrivertherapy.com\/research\/loneliness-statistics#:~:text=Statistics%20show%20that%20one%20in,children%20also%20report%20feeling%20lonely.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    [ii]<\/a> https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?sca_esv=592163180&sxsrf=AM9HkKkuWTZosk_kaCclUNV0G575XX-s9A:1702986353231&q=meditate&si=ALGXSlaYxyllm14_NEvUA9w95SVcf4Gc_Uq1YxjnSOqofcD1OqEl3aZ3tasGlLXtoMfBn4ugS3zMJqHErS5UMR2Wd_uAPcQHDSO5AJzOJAKnULsJqNq1pZM%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjuzJDFtpuDAxVEGlkFHXVcBEsQ2v4IegQIERBW&biw=767&bih=814&dpr=1.25<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Five-minute read. Or where shall I flee from your presence? Psalm 139:7b Positive benefit. As a child, I ran away from home.  Leaving my little house on the hill, I ran to my grandmother\u2019s house, less than a half mile away, and hid under her wrap-around porch.  Sitting quietly in the dimly lit corner, shafts of… Continue reading Positive Benefit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9539"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9544,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9539\/revisions\/9544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}