At an evening prayer service we sang the song “Holiness”. The lyrics go something like this: “Holiness, Holiness, is what I long for, Holiness, Holiness, is what I need”. The next day I couldn’t get that lovely song out of my head, and proceeded to sing it onto the Lord. However, by Tuesday I found myself singing “Loneliness, Loneliness, is what I long for…” I quickly apologized to God, “oh Lord” I said “how did that happen?!”
God used this to remind me of a period of my life when I was “in between” churches. The first time I was in between churches we had moved down to Nova Scotia from Ontario. I remember very well praying “God, I can’t church shop! Please lead me to a church for my family to attend”. Can anyone identify that it can be very painful church shopping? Have you ever felt awkward visiting a new congregation testing to see if this is where you feel comfortable? You might ask yourself: Are they friendly? Is the message good? Will I enjoy their style of worship? And most importantly; is this where I feel God wants me to be?
Fortunately, God heard the desperate cry of my heart, and that Sunday we found the church where we belonged. We attended that church for 3 1/2 years and I enjoyed my church family, and most importantly I enjoyed serving God there. I taught Sunday school, attended women’s bible study, and helped with the food hamper program. In fact, just thinking about our wonderful time down east can make me a little teary eyed!
When we moved back to Ontario, I intended to find a church family, but somehow I didn’t feel so desperate. I was in home territory with extended family near-by, a heavily wall-papered house that needed a top to bottom decorating overhaul, which consumed my time. Perhaps, I didn’t put it at the top priority list, or perhaps I was dealing with the pain of leaving a church family, that I didn’t feel emotionally ready to search for a new one. Can anyone identify with this? The only problem is God designed His children for fellowship; being on our own island is very lonely. Now back to the song, so what does the enemy want you to sing? (Loneliness)
How did it all work out? Well, truthfully I went through a painful period of loneliness. It was an inner loneliness, I mean life was good on the outside, but inside something was missing. The word says in 1 Corinthians 12:12 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ”. So what was missing was the rest of my body! I was experiencing loneliness because I was not complete. God designed me to be a member of the body of Christ. (Romans 12:5) A member of the body of Christ, not a dead limb, a vital organ!
What happens if an organ becomes severed from the body? It will shrivel and die. It can’t exist without the lifeblood of a whole body.
Praise God, in my loneliness I began to sing for His Holiness and God answered my prayer.
Do you feel disconnected from the body of Christ? I want you to know that God knows your pain. Being disconnected from the body of Christ will lead to feeling disconnected from God. He knows how he designed you, and that is to be a living member of the body of Christ!
