Here are 4 signs that often mean God wants you to be alone right now.
1. If Being Alone Is What You Need to Reconnect with God
There’s nothing as important as your relationship with God (Philippians 3:7-8). And yet, for some reason, we often end up neglecting this, even though we know it’s a massive mistake. Why?
One reason this happens is that it was a slow process rather than a sudden choice. It wasn’t as if we woke up one morning and said, “You know what, for the next year or two, I’m going to choose to neglect my walk with God.” Rather, what usually happens is that we end up adding more and more to our plates. And before we know it, God is pushed out of the picture without us even realizing it.
This is often when God comes in and does something dramatic, forcing us to wipe our slates clean. For example:
- Maybe the sins we were committing in a dating relationship finally catch up to us, the relationship implodes, and suddenly we are all alone again.
- Maybe we get so involved in church that we end up serving people more than we are actually serving God. Perhaps God then causes you to have an emotional breakdown, so you realize you are running yourself ragged and need to reconnect with him.
The point is that if you need to be alone for a while to get your priorities straight, God will often give you this opportunity. Don’t see this season of isolation as punishment. See it as an opportunity to regain your firm foundation in Christ. Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
In time, he will restore your community. Which leads us to point 2.
2. If Being Alone Is What You Need in Order to Find a New Community
We were made to live within a healthy, loving community. And yet, when you are in an unhealthy community, to find a new one, you often have to go through a season of transition. Many have called this “the lonely chapters.” You’re ready to leave the toxic influences in your life right now. But you’re not ready to jump into a healthy new community. Oftentimes God needs to sanctify us in a season of isolation so we are then ready for the community he has for us.
Think of Moses. God planned for him to lead Israel out of slavery. But before he was ready for that, God made him run from Egypt. And then he was away for about 40 years. Only then was he ready to return to the community and play the role God wanted him to (Exodus 2-4).
However, in that time, Moses wasn’t totally alone. God did provide him a wife. Which leads us to point 3.
3. If Being Alone Is What You Need to Prepare Your Heart for Marriage
Before Moses met Zipporah, God made him flee everything he knew (Exodus 2:11-22). This is actually a pretty common theme in the Scriptures. Before Ruth met Boaz, she had to leave Moab. Before Jacob met Rachel, he had to leave his mother and father as he ran from his brother Esau.
The point is, sometimes to meet the person God wants you to marry, God has to get you alone. He has to separate you from the people, places, and things that might be blocking you from the relationship blessing he wants to give you. For example:
- If you’re dating the wrong person, God will lead you to break up and be alone so you can get ready for the right person.
- If you’re too busy with projects to meet anyone new, God will often let them fail so you can refocus on the relationship desires he wants to satisfy for you.
The point is, if you sense God leading you away from what you know, there’s always a good reason for it. Which leads us to point 4
4. If Being Alone Is What You Need Even Though You Don’t Know Why You Need It
Maybe this isolation will lead to your spouse, to a new career, or to personal growth. Or maybe it won’t. We can’t always know “what” God is going to do, but we can always know “why” God is doing it. Whatever God does, he always does it for his glory and our good (Isaiah 43:7, Ephesians 1:11-12).
Psalm 84:11, “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
So if you are alone right now, or you sense God leading you into a season of isolation, you have to trust him. It might be painful. It might not be what you want. But now is your opportunity to trust God and reap the rewards.
When God wants to give us something good, he often gives us an opportunity to express our faith, because he often works through faith to bring about his blessings (Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:22).
