SET APART
"I sat alone, because your hand was upon me." (Jeremiah 15:17, ESV)

Some golfers I know love to play alone.

It's a regular thing, riding or walking, whenever I play the same venue for a season, I find these players, out there by themselves, playing at their own pace. Some like to get in as many holes as possible, and accept every invitation to play through. Others don't mind that they are "caught" behind a foursome; they wave you on and play their two and three balls when the first one isn't good enough.

I've played alone myself plenty of times, though it's not my first preference. I will say this: Alone, I can think. Alone, I can relish the moments. Alone, I can work on my game and my life all at the same time.

Sometimes in life, it is good to be alone.

Of course, you wouldn't know this by watching television, where all the happy people are those who are socially engaged. Their web of acquaintances is expansive. More than that, their web is talking and laughing and partying and, well, desirable.

You don't have to read your Bible very deeply to know that God wants excellent relationships to be part of our lives in His kingdom as well. Chiefly, He wants us to relate open with Him, whether we address Him as Father, Son or Spirit. He wants our hearts to touch His. Additionally, He wants us to relate to one another as beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. This isn't just "down home" phrasing; these are the pictures of family that Scripture gives us for God's people.

Yet in our passage for the day, here sits Jeremiah, the prophet of lamenting, speaking of his lonely state. What brought Jeremiah to this place? God.

God had called Jeremiah to be a man set apart. He did what God asked; he delighted in the words of God (not just the general "Word of God," mind you, but in the individual words and phrases spoken by the Lord). Jeremiah, as well, did not join his peers in their parties. In fact, the earlier portion of the verse tells us, "nor did I rejoice." And the later part of the verse tells us why: "For you had filled me with indignation."

God had drawn black-and-white lines in Jeremiah's life. He had placed Jeremiah in a position of steadfast righteousness—no little forays into the pleasures of the world. And it was in this righteousness that Jeremiah found himself alone. It was in this righteousness that the difference—often painful—between Jeremiah and his friends and neighbors was found.

There are many things that can cause us to turn, be it sharply or slightly, from our commitment to follow Christ. We would be kidding ourselves to say that loneliness is not one of these things. All of us have crossed the line into sinful territory for the sake of keeping a friend. Jeremiah was given no such luxury. Sometimes we will be called to the same. In those times, we can find strength in knowing that this happens because God's hand is upon us.

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Jeff Hopper

April 23, 2008

Copyright 2008 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.