Alone but not lonely

By Buchi Atuonwu

One million people is one thousand people, one thousand times. That’s a lot of people!
Now, imagine one, two, three million people gathered in one place, can you?
Have you ever witnessed millions of people rising in ovation as you appear before them on stage? I have.
It’s an amazing sight, a great feeling, truly phenomenal.
Many successful musicians the world over never get to see that their whole life time.
Yet, how lonely one could be in the midst of millions!
Our greatest moments are not those spent in the company of a multitude of fans and followers. Our greatest moments are the times when we are alone with God!
The multitude of human company, even at the height of their admiration and thunderous applause, does not begin to compare with the ecstasy of a moment alone with God. It is sweeter than sensual pleasure, truly indescribable.

Have you ever found yourself alone in the world, yearning for human attention that’s not forthcoming? I have. It happens especially in times of difficulty and leaves one in deep grief. So depressing.
At such times, we remember our friends, associates and acquaintances who we think should have been there. We miss them so much that we may even overlook the one or two who have “faithfully” shown up for us.
Have you ever been there where it seems like you’ve been left alone and abandoned to your fate?
Some are wiser, though. Knowing man, they expect nothing. Whatever helping hands they need, they find at the end their own arms. They toil alone. Independence, they call it. For comfort, they wrap their arms around themselves.
That sounds like loneliness to me.

But to be alone with God is not loneliness! It is indescribably amazing how God’s presence is so fulfilling you do not notice the absence ( and sometimes, even the presence ) of another. There’s a depth, height and intensity of engagement that leaves no room for any competing interest.

Is this perhaps why it is said that in heaven there will not be husbands, wives, sons, daughters and other earthly relationships? Howbeit, at the mount of transfiguration, those guys recognized Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Enraptured in that presence, they probably did not recognise their own existence in earthly space and time at that moment; which explains why they pleaded to remain there.
When we catch a glimpse of heaven, even the best of earth loses its appeal.
Perhaps, we would be so immersed in this engagement with Him that nothing or no one else would matter.

This may not be about the devil or our “unfaithful ” friends and relatives who have left us alone. It may well be God who’s got us where He wants us…Alone with Himself.

Rebellious flesh! Too often we seek the attention and doting of man at the expense of the company of God.
God loves us. He truly does. He desires our attention, our interaction, our fellowship. He likes to hear from us firsthand what we think of that gift He just got for us, that maneuver which we know we didn’t orchestrate that got us out of that tough situation, that help that showed up when we needed it, even if solicited… He wants to have a say in the choices and decisions that we make.
Often, He wants us alone with Him.

• Buchi Atuonwu is a celebrated Gospel Music Minister