All By Myself?

I had quite a bizarre and distressing experience yesterday. I came back to Bristol to do some community nursing shifts until my full time job in Birmingham begins and had arranged to stay with my family. However at the last minute they were entertaining from their church and it didn't seem appropriate for me to be there so I had to leave for my night shift early at about 4pm with six hours to kill. It suddenly occured to me that I didn't quite know what to do with very little money and all my friends in Bristol being busy (one away at Glastonbury and Jude away in Cornwall). I ended up going to the cinema which I enjoyed but the film ended early at about 7pm and all the shops were shut. So I ended up sitting in KFC (which I hate) feeling very lonely. I was preparing to indulge in some self-pity (which I felt was well earned) when two quotes came to me.

The first was from C H Spurgeon from one of his sermons on the "Cries from the Cross";

"He will never forsake me, for he forsook his Son on my behalf".

The second was from the famous poem "Footprints";

"My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you.During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Although yesterday was desperately hard and lonely, I reflected that it was good for me to experience this. Being single I surround myself with friends and I realised how much I take the Presence of the Spirit for granted. It is only when we are indeed alone that we can truly encounter and walk with Him. My friend Pete is going to write an article soon on the "Spirit of God!" blog about a vital aspect of the Spirit's work that mustn't be neglected in our charismatic resurgence - that He is the Comforter or the Paraclete.

I would call this the forgotten aspect of the Spirit's work. The charismatic resurgence mustn't neglect this in favour of His power. If we would learn to walk with Him and know what it was to be able to call Him, "My dearest friend" then maybe we would be better stewards and conduits of His power.

That being said I am also freshly grateful for my true friends - Pete, Scott (who is now back online and blogging again!), Jude, Michelle, Abi - I love you and appreciate you so much. But most of all I am awed and in wonder that the Lord of glory would stoop to walk with me and carry me and die for me that I might never be alone.