WHEN YOU HAVE TO STAND ALONE

Do you ever feel invisible, insignificant, or ignored? When we have to stand alone, we can experience all of these emotions. Sometimes God calls us to this place of isolation because he is has something to teach us there. We can learn to STAND ALONE with God.

JUST STAND SERIES

Thanks for joining the conclusion of my JUST STAND series. Much gratitude to those who have been on this journey from the beginning! Your support and feedback have encouraged me to stand strong and steady! If you want to know about the genesis of this series, please read the first post: AFTER YOU’VE DONE ALL YOU CAN…STAND.

It is difficult for anyone to “just stand” during a turbulent storm or after a devastating collapse. Often, the instinctual “fight or flight” response kicks in, and we find ourselves struggling in our human strength or running as fast as we can to escape the pain.

But God suggests a third option, an alternate response…something so counterintuitive…that we know we can only do it with his grace, strength, and truth. This simple command comes from Ephesians 6:10-20 and has been the biblical foundation for this series.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” 

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

For over a month now, we have been digging deep into God’s word to learn how to:

• POSITION ourselves to stand again after a collapse.
• PREPARE ourselves to stand firm by resting first.
• PRACTICE standing in God’s truth by rejecting lies.
• PERSEVERE in standing despite the fiery flames of life.

And today we conclude with what might be the toughest lesson of all:

STANDING ALONE WITH GOD

WHY YOU MAY BE STANDING ALONE

If you look around you and see nothing or no one, assessing or noticing how you got there is a good place to start.

• Sometimes we choose to stand alone.
• Sometimes people or circumstances challenge us to stand alone.
• Sometimes God calls us to stand alone.

Depending on our motivation, standing alone can be:

A courageous choice based on our convictions…or an act of cowardice rooted in our fear of rejection.

A healthy approach to self-preservation…or a way to wallow in self-pity.

A spiritual calling to stand for grace and truth…or an excuse to remove ourselves from people and places that make us uncomfortable and insecure.

I encourage you to start by checking your heart (even though it may be hard) because if we do not dig deep and discover why we may be standing alone, we will definitely miss what God may be wanting to teach us.

HOW WE FEEL WHEN WE STAND ALONE

Whatever our motivation or circumstances, the feelings that can accompany standing alone are similar. It is not easy to stand by ourselves whether we choose to or not.

Standing alone can make us feel:

• INVISIBLE
• INSIGNIFICANT
• INJURED

WE MAY FEEL INVISIBLE WHEN WE STAND ALONE

“Does anyone even see me?” This is the cry of our heart when we feel ignored, forgotten, or hidden. Standing alone can give us the impression of being invisible even when surrounded by a crowd of familiar friends or family. We can put ourselves out there and think that people are looking right through us.

WE MAY FEEL INSIGNIFICANT WHEN WE STAND ALONE

“Is it worth it?” When we stand alone, and no one notices, we wonder if what we are doing makes any difference. We may feel powerless and question whether “taking a stand” means anything to anyone…even ourselves! This causes us to trivialize our situation as meaningless and worthless.

WE MAY FEEL INJURED WHEN WE STAND ALONE

“Am I too wounded or broken?” Standing alone is often accompanied by struggle, and the battle to get back on our feet can leave us battered and bruised. Often, we are hurt by those who deserted us or feel abandoned by God. If we focus only on our injuries and wounds, we will give up and collapse.

Although it is important to identify and acknowledge when we feel invisible, insignificant, and injured, it also crucial that we do not allow these feelings to keep us from standing alone when God calls us to do so.

FIGHT FEELINGS & FEAR WITH FAITH THAT GOD IS STANDING WITH YOU

Remember why God called you to stand! Society, people, and circumstances will do everything they can to make us feel invisible, insignificant, and injured when we stand alone, but God promises that when we stand in his grace and truth, he will never leave us.

Let’s review the acrostic for S-T-A-N-D introduced at the beginning of this series.

HOW TO STAND ALONE WITH GOD

• NOTICE. Okay, so you are all by yourself. There is nothing and no one around. Maybe you feel like a loser. Maybe you are lost and don’t know what to do or where to go. Or maybe you are proud of yourself because you are still standing! Could it be that God intentionally brought you to this place to remove the people and things that were holding you down or keeping you from moving forward? Or might it be that God wanted you to notice that with his strength you can stand by yourself?

• DEFEND. As you take note of standing by yourself, it is critical to remember that you are still standing (yeah, yeah, yeah!). Do not forget this! Despite your feelings, your fears, and your failures, you have remained in an upright position. So now it is time to DEFEND your ground. Do not let the enemy take back what you have worked so hard to achieve. Set healthy boundaries that let in truth and keep out lies.

GOD RESCUES THOSE WHO STAND ALONE

Hidden. Forgotten. Hopeless Broken.

We may use these words to describe ourselves when we must stand alone, but it is not how God defines us.

You are not invisible…God sees you.

… ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me'”

Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

You are not insignificant…God delights and sings over you.

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

You are not injured…God makes you healthy and whole.

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (MSG)

WE CAN STAND TOGETHER

I hope and pray that no matter where you are in your faith journey, you find truth, encouragement, and guidance in this JUST STAND series.

And if you need someone to continue to stand with you, please consider joining fellow travelers here AT THE CROSSROADS by becoming an email subscriber. Not only will you receive weekly blog posts, free faith resources, book updates, and connection opportunities, you will get me…messy, flawed, broken, still learning and growing…but I promise to connect with you personally and authentically as we seek to stand firm in grace and truth together!