I Thessalonians 3:1-13
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone… (v. 1). “left behind” and “alone”… In our Men’s Group discussion this past Tuesday someone said that the Christian life is meant to be lived in community, not alone. And there’s great truth in that, as Paul affirms in today’s reading. For him it was one thing to be “left behind”, but it was quite another to be left “alone”. Paul’s aloneness was in Athens. The Lord had blessed him with a few converts there, but I imagine that Paul was not particularly comfortable in this city of philosophers – I can see them wanting to argue and discuss gospel fine points and details rather than simply accepting with faith and believing on the truth of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Paul had better things to do! So in his aloneness he moved on to Corinth where he met a fellow tentmaker and was possibly somewhat more comforted.
I spoke with someone yesterday who was feeling lonely. He is a single man, 70’ish, never married, living 300+ miles from us, and now is looking at his life from here on. He is not in good health and may end up in a nursing home, again with only his siblings and a few friends who would drop by for occasional visits. But the saddest part of all is that this man is not a Christian and has rejected our encouragement, our witnessing to move him to Jesus. What to do…? Carol and I know another man age 55 or so whose wife wants out of their 15-year marriage. He, too is feeling quite alone. And I’m sure there are dozens of other people I/we know who are also feeling lonely.
But then I also think of widows and widowers and never-marrieds in our church who surely feel that same aloneness, but you certainly can’t see that on Sunday morning. They have something more in their lives – Jesus and the rest of us! Just as Paul needed to be reassured that the Thessalonians were thinking of him, all these “alone” people need to know that we are thinking and praying for them. Add some lonely people to your prayer list…!
See also: April 6 / I Thess. 3:1-13