The Gift of Biblical Isolation
Happy New Year, Everyone. Hoping and praying that we all had a blessed time welcoming the new year with a fresh set of power and are ready to continue to glorify God in the year 2025. One of the most exciting things about holidays is getting to be surrounded by the people we love the most and depending on how that looks like for you it could be a team of people or just a couple. Regardless, I hope all of us were able to cross into the new years with the people that matter most to us.
On today's blogthursday though, we are going to get out of that fellowship and being surrounding by other just for a moment and dive deeper at the meaning of biblical isolation is and why it is important for each and every believer to practice this in order to grow in their intimacy with the Spirit of God. Don't worry. This blog post is not suggesting that you cut off all the people in your life and go on being lonely. Thoug I do have to warn you there might be some relationship God will spare us from as we seek Him and prioritize Him. That is to be expected. However, As we have been reading in the past few weeks, we learned about the importance of relationships and how they are impactful for out walk with Christ. We have established that part. Now, we will look at the balancing factor that is found in isolation and how God can use that time in our life to shape us for His glory.
What is Isolation?
First off, there is a misconception I want to clear here. By isolation, we are not looking to become lonely and avoid all type of relationship in the name of glorifying God. That is not the point here. There are multiple evidences in the Bible that God honors fellowships that glorify Him and are centered around Christ (Psa. 133:2, Heb. 10:25). However, it is also equally important for us as believers to know how to become isolated for a limited time from certain places of fellowship and even ministry, in order to grow in our knowledge of The Lord God on our own. This is the key here. To know God on our own. Even Jesus, being God Himself in flesh, is known to be someone who "often withdrew to lonely places" (Lk. 5:16). So Isolation, as defined by the Bible is the act of separating ourselves from the mass or our surrounding for the purpose of getting to know God personally. This in turn is the shaping factor of all the relationship we will have and the ministry we are entrusted with.
Another word that has similar meaning to isolation is separation. Which denotes that one is away from their surrounding and on their own for a set amount of time. This isolation that Bible encourages one, is not limited to a certain part of life. God will call each and every one us into isolation at the earliest part of our ministry and even in the latter part of our ministry. Isolation is the most important part of every believer as it helps each and every one of us understand who God is and what His purpose for us is. If we are always surrounded by others and our judgment is clouded by the multiple voices we hear around us, how can we ever know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior? Isolation, biblically speaking, is essential. Not optional but essential. Going back to what we covered in the earlier part of this writing, we have Jesus as our model for the life we must live on earth and we see that he often practiced isolation for the purpose of getting away from the worldly ministry and recharging.
As the previous year was coming to an end and this one was starting, one of the main things we might have planned is to have a stronger relationship with God and to dwell in his presence. One of the ways that the Bible teaches on how to practice this is, Biblical isolation. Matthew 6:6 talks about this by saying "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."(NIV). The greatest reward from spending time in Isolation with God is getting to know Him personally. Consider this, think of the person you are really close to. What makes them your best friend or the person you trust the most? It is the amount of time the two of you share together, communicate about certain things and have even overcome some hardships. Often times, even friendships and marriages are strengthened through such times where the two parties are going through a path no one else is able to understand. There is a special type of bond in that.
In 2025, let's strive for that type of deeper connection with the Spirit of God by being isolated (for a time) and going into the presence of God to hear clearly from Him. Then we can be more effective in our ministry and also the relationship that He has blessed us with. Remember, we don't isolate ourselves for the sake of isolation or to just sit an empty room sulking over the what ifs and the failures we faced in life. We practice isolation to have a better relationship horizontally and vertically. Horizontally with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and vertically with the God that created us and has redeemed us through the power of the Blood of Christ and is still helping us through his Spirit.
So, as we take time alone before the Lord, we must know that there is a blessing that God brings from that seemingly hard time in your life. This part of life where you are not able to run to a pastor, a mentor, or even a parent or siblings but solely to God, though it is the time where you feel the most helpless, it is crucial to getting to know God more intimately. Once again, another disclaimer here. This is not to suggest that God will not use the people mentioned here to minister to us and build us up. We must understand that God’s purpose for us as new creation is to know Him personally first through Christ Jesus. Remember, we don’t go through human priests and other don’t make the sacrifices for us anymore. Jesus, being our high priest, is in that place now. As the children of God through Christ, we too are a royal priesthood (1Pet. 2:9). And we must always remember that it is always a privilege to get to know God, the creator of heaven and earth, our Father through Christ, personally. So let us take advantage of that in Isolation.
I do have to warn you though, again, there might be some relationships around us that might find that to be odd so may God continue to increase his grace and strength upon us all in Jesus' name as we strive to know Him and “seek His kingdom and His righteousness"(Matt.6:33, NIV).
Verse of Meditation
"yet I am not alone for my Father is with me"(John 16:32, NIV).
Prayer
Lord, you have said in your word, "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"(Jer. 29:13) so help me through your Spirit to do just that. Help me to become fully dependent on you and help me to get to know you better in my time of Isolation. Increase my hunger for your word and my thirst for your Spirit within me. In the year 2025 and onward, may all I do start with the fellowship I have with you. In my daily life, may I look more and more like Jesus Christ. Thank you for your helping hand, your ever-present help, the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name I pray and believe. Amen.
