It is so easy for each of us to believe that when times are difficult, when we feel all alone that God is missing in action, and we wonder if God sees you. We know with our head that he is here, we know what scripture says about His presence, but it doesn’t feel like he is here.

 

This week I have struggled with hearing God in the loneliness.  I have been to two conferences in four weeks, surrounded by other women who have struggles of their own.  We share stories and encouragement with each other.  When I came home some of my family were already at the house for Thanksgiving, so a week and a half passed  before I pulled my suitcase from the trunk of my car.

 

The Christmas decorating and shopping followed immediately with all of its hurry, hurry lifestyle.  You want to say, “Merry Christmas” to those in the stores but you feel like you yell it to them as you run past them to the next project.

 

This week is the first I have had to sit before the Lord and process the things I heard while I was away, and to realize that I am home and I feel alone.

 

I went to God in prayer, pouring my heart out to him about how painful it is to not be in church community, to live in this desert.  And I asked him, to please give me encouragement.  I really needed to know that He was still hearing me, and knowing my heart to know Him better, and to do the work that was in my heart.

 

The next day, and for the next three days, I want you to know, that through my online community, without telling anyone that I was struggling, I began to get email, and messages on Facebook about how much I was loved.

 

Only God can do that!  Only God!

 

Hagar was was in the desert, sent there by Abraham according to God.  I can understand her feeling of alone and without God.  When Abraham put a skin of water on her back and sent her, and her son, into the desert , did she feel like God had forgotten her?  Hagar, a woman who had an encounter earlier in the desert, who is the only person we know of who was given the gift of naming God.  She called him the God who sees me.

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If God can find Hagar in her desert of loneliness and sorrow, will He not find you as well?  Perhaps, he has been there the whole time and we just didn’t realize it. God will allow us to go through different experiences and feelings when that is the area of ministry to which he calls us for that day, or even that season.

Sometimes our greatest miracles are in the small things that are muddled in the mundane while walking alone in the desert.  

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If you are hurting, needing to know that God is here with you, why don’t you ask Him to encourage you today?  And maybe, today you can be the answer to someone else’s cry for encouragement in the loneliness.  Consider today, posting a Facebook message encouraging someone, send a card, or make a call.

 

In what way do you encourage other?  I love comments, would  you share here in the comments?

 

There is a new website that is about to launch for those who feel outside the walls of community.  You can take a sneak peak here!

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Diane W. Bailey is the founder of The Consilium – an online community of wisdom and purpose for women over 45 years of age. She is a published author. Her books include String of Pearls – From Tears to Treasure, and 30 Days To A Better Stepfamily. She creates her own line of precious metals bracelets. Diane lives in the Deep South with her husband Doc. Together they have created a stepfamily, each having two stepchildren and two birth children, and share three grandchildren, one black lab named Charlie and one long haired tabby cat named Lil Girl. Diane’s passion is to encourage women to be all God has created them to be by pressing past fear and daring to live life as an adventure. Some of her life adventures include traveling to Israel, speaking, entrepreneurship and backyard farming with Doc. She loves Gumbo, fried shrimp and seeing all sunsets across water.

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