Look Up: 35 Days to Finding Hope in Dark PlacesSample

The Pit of Loneliness

God’s calling can sometimes lead to lonely places and strained relationships — just ask David.

God’s hand was clearly on David’s life, which made the current king of Israel, Saul, jealous. Soon, David was on the run, fleeing for his life by hiding in caves in the wilderness. David went from being the up-and-coming ruler of a mighty nation to a pariah on the lam. It is out of this lonely place that David wrote some of the most heart-wrenching Psalms we read in our modern Bibles.

Times like this can be tremendously difficult. Maybe God leads you to move across the country, away from your parents, to do ministry in a new place. Or maybe you’re the only person in your home driving to church on Sunday morning. Following God’s calling can take us to lonely places.

It can be easy in these moments to take things into our own hands and slow down in our pursuit of God’s calling on our lives to save ourselves from discomfort.

In the caves, David was presented with an opportunity to kill Saul and end his exile. But David knew better than to shortcut the path of the Eternity-Maker. He showed mercy on Saul while showing his trust in God.

He chose to look up and trust that God’s way was better than his way. In doing so, he accepted present isolation knowing it would give way to eventual exultation.

We can do the same by trusting that God will work our current loneliness into his ultimate plan.