Pastor Ralph Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiKosum Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? It gives me the assurance that even when I feel alone, yet I am not alone. The Father God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are only a prayer away. As Jesus said, 'He will never leave us or forsake us.'. To deepen our fellowship with Father God and Jesus, we must spend time meditating on His word and also spend time in prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that He is not alone, that the Father is always with Him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? His promise that He will never leave me (alone for one second) nor forsake me, is such a comfort. At times of loneliness or isolation, I am reminded of this, and speak His name. It brings me immediately to prayer and the connection with Him. I've come to believe that at times He's longing for me to come to Him, and my human relationships are "stalled" or hindered for that reason. What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? Although our family and friends are His gift to us, He wants us to be dependent upon Him, as they will invariably fail us or not be there. I've learned over the years that He is the only One Who knows me completely and knows what I need and is always available. If I feel lonely I know He's only a breath or prayer away, and is waiting for me to run into His open arms, or to "crawl up on His lap" Those are some of the most intimate times of pouring out my heart to Him and of receiving His loving comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? Oh What a God we worship. That our God should always be with us. This world is a dark scary place and getting more so everyday. What a comfort to know that our God is with us and nothing can separate us from Him. Romans 8:38,39. We need to deepen our realization of this with more time in the Word, more prayer and more and more gratitude to Him, more meditation of Him. I forget who wrote that little book "Practicing the Presence of God" but we need to do more of that. At least to all these things I need to do them. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blezed Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? When we are lonely, we need to recognize the Father is with us always. He has said that he will never leave nor forsake me. We should strengthen our relationship with our Father my spending time with him. This can be accomplished by studying his word, meditating and continue prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? I think there is a difference between being alone and lonely. Believers are not alone because God is with them, however most people generally like to be with other people at least some times. God in Genesis 2:18 said "it is not good for man to be alone"... -so he created a woman. I was lonely for a time before I met my wife- I longed to have a wife to love. Deepening ones fellowship with the Father is about faith-trusting in Him (Hebrews 11:1, 11:6), knowing His word -the bible (Psalm 119:105) and praying (Romans 12:12, John 8:32). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that He is not alone, that the Father is always with Him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? We know from scripture that God has promised never to leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5b), and that He has also sent us the Holy Spirit, who will comfort us and walk alongside us, even in loneliness (vv. 16:7-8). So we have this constant companion and guide. Also in Revelation 3:20 we read, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” It is for us to decide whether to open our life to Jesus’ presence or not. If we do then we will never be alone, and it is not necessary for us to feel sad or dejected, knowing that He is always with us and that we will have this wonderful relationship with His Son. At the same time, we can deepen our fellowship with the Lord by getting away from self-absorption, and by becoming involved in doing the work of the kingdom. Attending Bible studies and belong to a Christian church. Getting to know His Word by study and meditation, also increases our fellowship with Him - remembering that He speaks to us through the Word. As believers we should never feel alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMallinson Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 It is very encouraging to know that we need never be lonely. It is only when we separate ourselves from God through sin or by not giving time to him every day that we need to worry. It is a great comfort when things are tough or we are feeling lonely that the reality is very different from appearances. To deepen our fellowship, I find it helpful to keep up an internal conversation with God but particularly when things are difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? When we feel lonely we must remember that Jesus said he would not forsake us or leave us, he is with us always. Jesus told his disciples that they would all scatter and go home during his death on the cross, but he knew the love of the Father was always with him. Continual prayer is the best way to maintain our loving relationship with the Father. Prayer opens our avenue of communication to the Lord, he will strengthen us and guide us if we allow him to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? As the Father was always with Jesus and enabled Jesus to be bold to face persecution and death, the same God is our Father and His presence is with us. We should thus not be afraid. What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? We need to come closer to our Father to listen to Him, talk to Him, worship and give Him praises and thanksgiving for what He does for us and for who is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Tavaziva Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? As Christians, we should expect continuing tension with an unbelieving world that is “out of sync” with Christ, his Good News, and his people. At the same time, we can expect our relationship with Christ to produce peace and comfort because we are “in sync” with him. The disciples scattered after Jesus was arrested. Jesus was bereft of human companionship, but never divine companionship until the crucifixion, when He bore the sin of the world. He died for our sins and will never leave us or for sack us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely?We need time with the Father and HIs word to get to know and trust Him. Three years with Jesus by itself wasn't enough for the disciples' faith that was grown by feeling and following the Holy Spirit. The triune God is ever present in out lives. Jesus said he would never leave us. He said the Holy Spirit would always stay and abide in us. He told us to pray to the Father. So this is what I will do right now. Because it is a joy to me. Then I will worship Him with Hispanics tonight, and rejoice in the promises, and just the way He loves us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? Praise God that I have followed this study and spent several hours praying and taking to other devout Christians this morning. This peace in me has overcome my fear of losing my ability to walk as a normal person, on two legs. Despite a deteriorating condition on the surface, I found that prayer has help me walk slower and that God has granted me the ability to still do it, but slower. So I am not lonely, He is with me, every precious step. SO I pray to remain in Him as Jesus told us to do, and to share the good news! We are saved by His blood! Praise Jesus name! Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickledilly Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 When I feel lonely, I think it is ultimately because of a lack of awareness and focus on the One who is ever with me. There is no state of mind or emotion and no place in all of creation that I can go where God’s presence is missing. This means that when I feel alone, abandoned, deserted, or betrayed, I still have one Faithful Friend who always abides in me with the presence of His Spirit. He is there with strength, encouragement, wisdom, direction, comfort, and peace no matter what I face. The key is my focus. Fifteen years ago, I began a tough journey with my daughter as she was struck with an autoimmune disease at age 20. The first 2 years were very difficult much of the time, and I often felt alone in the struggle since almost no one seemed to understand what we were dealing with, especially on the emotional level. In fact, over time I realized that not one family member, not one single friend, not even my husband or my own mother seemed aware at all of my need for someone to minister encouragement to me as I ministered that to my daughter. I’m thankful they frequently asked about her, but it’s no exaggeration to say that for 2 years nobody asked how I was holding up. When she was hospitalized for 11 days for major surgery, no friend even called me! It seemed like they all were wearing blinders, and it was a long lonely walk indeed. And then the LORD showed me that, in a way, they all were blinded to my need because He wanted me to walk that path with Him and learn to lean only on Him. Those lonely days were transformed into joyful and precious time with my Father like no other time in my life, and I was even able to fully release the hurt I felt at being so thoroughly overlooked by the people in my life. God’s presence is real. Our fellowship with Father is deepened as we pray for and cultivate an awareness of His presence and we train ourselves to see Him at work all around us in our everyday moments. Be grateful for the tiniest ways He reveals Himself - in moments as simple as stopping to rejoice with your grandchildren as they chase fireflies on a summer evening, or marveling at the steadfast stars in the dark night sky, or humbling your heart as you stand at the shore and watch wave after wave roll in from the vast ocean, or observing your hurting child receive kind and excellent care from a wonderful Christian doctor and watching her rest peacefully as you sit by her hospital bed. Be aware of God there, express your gratitude, and rejoice in Him. Learn His Word, trust His promises to be true, apply truth to your situations, and pray His own words back to Him in faith. Expect Him to honor His Word to you, and then thank Him for it. You’ll realize that you were never alone at all. And you’ll begin to find Him right there when you feel most forsaken by everyone else. Jesus knew this, and so can we. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Applegarth Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? Life is a very rocky road and no matter how hard we try to keep them out, we all experience tough times and hardships. Hard times come to all of us at some point in our lives and there are times when we become discouraged and simply feel like throwing in the towel. “They say” that life is tough and that’s certainly not an understatement but when we don't think we can take one more step and when it seems that there’s no one who can help, the Lord is ALWAYS there ready and willing to bring us through our most challenging times. When no one else can help, He gives us exactly what we need at exactly the right time. Being a Christian, having faith and serving God diligently certainly doesn't exempt us from the loneliness and apprehension brought on by personal hardship or illness but, we are never alone because He is always there with us and we have His assurance that He will never abandon us. What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? The sin that we carry around with us is THE fundamental obstruction standing between us and an unconditional, everlasting fellowship with God. The onset of spiritual lonliness is brought on by failing to properly attend to that sin. The road to ridding ourselves of sin and deepening our fellowship with the Lord is to: 1) make confessing our sins to God an integral part of our daily worship routine. We are all human beings ergo, we are all inherently sinners. Sin is the fundamental obstacle to a lasting relationship with God so it only stands to reason that heartfelt confession and repentance is what it will take to remove it. When we confess our sins to God, we must acknowledge that we’ve done wrong and sincerely turn to Him for forgiveness but an unpretentious, generic confession isn’t what He’s looking for. He wants specifics! Simply saying, “God forgive me for my sins” isn’t enough, you MUST acknowledge and repent for each and every sin that you want Him to forgive. Why? Quite obviously He really doesn’t need to hear it, after all He’s God and He already knows what our sins are. God it seems, wants us to take personal responsibility for our sins by acknowledging them openly and freely, not only to Him but to ourselves as well. 2) We need to be still and listen to Him! Regardless of what some TV evangelists have to say on the subject, God doesn’t speak audibly to any of us. He speaks, through the Holy Spirit, to our hearts and minds, not to our ears. Listening to Him comes through studying (note I didn’t say reading) His Holy Word regularly. When we faithfully study His Word we are (or should be) listening to Him with our hearts. 3) A conversation includes both speaking and listening. As I said we listen when we study Gods word but we can also speak to Him through our daily prayers. Paul tells us in Romans 12:12 to; “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” We speak to Him as we offer prayers of love and devotion, of sorrow and regret for our sinful ways and prayers of thanksgiving and supplication. 4) Our Fellowship with likeminded people (other Christians) also plays an important role in developing and deepening our fellowship with God. Regular attendance every Lord’s Day not only provides an opportunity to come to the Lord’s house to worship and fellowship with Him but it also brings us into fellowship with other Christians. 5) Last but not least is building a closer relationship with God through a life of obedience. Paul said it much better than I could ever hope when he wrote, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 When we think that we are lonely we can always go to the Father for comfort. We have always got somebody to talk to. We can be in his word continually and seek him. Or we can go to the His words in the Bible for comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godswriter Posted June 22, 2019 Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren’t as lonely? We may feel lonely but we are truly never alone because God is with us always. Spend more time in prayer and in the Word, and listening to Him by being still and knowing who He is. We also want to spend time listening to Christian music and being taught His word as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisema Ralitsoele Posted September 19, 2020 Report Share Posted September 19, 2020 Q3. (John 16:32) 1. Jesus said that he is not alone, that the Father is always with him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? It means that when we are lonely, we must meditate on the Word: I am not alone, my Father who loves me unconditionally, is with me. Therefore, I have to remember that Jesus Has not, and never will abandon me. 2. What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? Before we even become lonely, we should enjoy family and friends but consciously, with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine not to put our dependence on them for the completeness of our joy for that can only come from Christ. We should deepen our relationship with the ever-present Father by prayer, talking to Him regularly and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit throughout the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Edwards Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 Hebrew word is "hitbodedut". We spend time in prayer addressing God as our dear friend. We pray in our own words and convey to God our joys, sorrows, dreams and goals. Ideally this is done outside underneath the open sky; it is not just a rushed affair. We can deepen our walk with God tremendously during this Covid pandemic as we are forced to be socially distanced from each other. We can have daily worship at home. Open the hymnal and sing out loud and pray vocally as well. I can testify that this does help in times of loneliness: I have worked nites for years so a good prayer life is very important. For many years, I would do the above even when by myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmela Posted October 2, 2022 Report Share Posted October 2, 2022 Q3. (John 16:32) Jesus said that He is not alone, that the Father is always with Him. What does this mean to us when we are lonely? What should we do to deepen our fellowship with the ever-present Father so that we aren't as lonely? This is an encouragement to us, for He promised that He would be with us always (He would never leave us nor forsake us) and if it was so for Him, it will likewise be so for us. For fellowship we are with whoever we want to have fellowship with, so for closer fellowship with the Father, we need to spend time with Him. We do this by talking to Him and by reading and meditating on His Word and spending time to worship Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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