The Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” – Genesis 2:18
Loneliness is among the most poisonous things for humanity. It leads to depression, anxiety, and all sorts of physical medical issues: obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. It is so damaging and painful that we use it – solitary confinement – as punishment for some of the most dangerous criminals. The Bible continuously warns us of the dangers of loneliness and encourages us to be in community with fellow believers: “Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Loneliness kills, but community saves. But what do you do if you are truly alone?
Elijah found himself in a situation like that. He was truly alone in a godless nation. He was despised for the Truth he spoke and the very leader of his country demanded his head on a spike. He was terrified because he knew he was alone: “The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:10). It was so bad that he quite literally begged God to kill him: “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4). He was depressed because he felt totally alone. However, God quickly reminded him that he is not alone, and in fact there were thousands like him. God then encouraged Elijah and told him to anoint the next king of Israel, king of Aram, and his own successor. So, if there were thousands like him, why did he feel alone? Because none of them were brave enough to speak up about the Truth. Elijah was the person to rally behind. After the encouragement from God, the Comforter, he was able to speak the Truth boldly again and anoint his successor, the prophet who performed the most miracles in the Old Testament and led Israel out of a demonic time.
Therefore, be not afraid to speak Truth when surrounded by hostilities. Bend not your faith or your convictions to the idols of man; instead, stand firm and be willing to be thrown into the fire. Even if you are beaten and thrown into the fire to be burned alive, you may find that you are not alone and the others there with you shall have an appearance like that of a god (Daniel 3:25). Moreover, by standing up boldly for the Truth and being willing to stand on the frontline in the face of an overwhelming mob, you may very well inspire bravery in others and encourage them to not bow their knees to idols either. Loneliness kills. Community saves. Sometimes a community rallies behind one that is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the greater good. Christianity is built on the backs of men who boldly spoke the Truth in spite of the consequences. Therefore, be the voice willing to stand up and speak Truth, because God can and will use your boldness for His glory.
Taking his courage in his hands (for a great crowd of pagans stood by watching and bitterly cursing in their hearts the enemy of the gods), he cut the first notch. But when he had made a superficial cut, suddenly the oak’s vast bulk, shaken by a mighty blast of wind from above, crashed to the ground, shivering its topmost branches into fragments in its fall. As if by the express will of God (for the brethren present had done nothing to cause it) the oak burst asunder into four parts, each part having a trunk of equal length. At the sight of this extraordinary spectacle the heathens who had been cursing ceased to revile and began, on the contrary, to believe and bless the Lord. — from the story of Saint Boniface Cutting down the Oak tree of Thor