Welcome to the Susquehanna Valley Baptist Pulpit, preaching a life worth living, abundant life in Christ. And now the message. So this morning we're talking about isolation on the mission field. And though we are talking about what missionaries face on the field, the lesson this morning is also applicable to all of us. And I hope this lesson will be an encouragement to our hearts this morning. Isolation, what is it? Isolation can be defined as standing detached from others of a like kind. standing detached from others of a like kind, placed by itself or alone. So isolation, or in other words, loneliness can impact people physically, emotionally, mentally, and yes, spiritually. So isolation is real. Missionaries do face it on the field, but isolation can take on different forms. And so I spoke with some of our missionaries, and I spoke with one missionary in Rankin, Canada last week. Rankin, Canada, located in the Nunavut territory, population around 3,000 people, where the temperatures remain below freezing from September to June. The closest neighboring city is 415 miles. He shared that they feel isolated mostly due to the lack of Christian fellowship. They are the only independent Baptist church in the town. The next nearest independent Baptist church is a one to two hour flight. So yes, they feel isolated. As we look at this topic of isolation, I want to give you this morning two scenarios. And then we'll look at Psalm chapter 142. The first scenario comes from a missionary in Greenland. And he writes, when we first arrived to this pioneer mission field, for the first time in our lives, we were completely alone without any other believers, without any fellowship. There was not even another missionary waiting for us to show us the ropes. We were alone and felt very isolated. To complicate matters, we did not know the languages, had no permanent housing, and my wife was eight months pregnant. At that time, the only way to call America was to use a pay phone. Some young people probably don't even know what that is, but a pay phone at the local grocery store, which costs around $5 a minute. After being on the mission field for two weeks, my wife was sent to the capital city, 400 miles south of where we were living. She was alone. She was there alone for one week until I could get there with our three other children that were five years old and under. She met the midwife for the first time outside the hospital as the midwife unlocked the door. My wife was completely alone. We had no way to contact each other. It was a very isolated feeling being alone and having no friends or family to be at her side. 1 Peter 1.7 was a verse that encouraged my wife and brought her through the difficult times. Through the trials and loneliness, her faith was strengthened. When we finally found permanent housing, it was in a one-room apartment in substandard housing, and listen closely, with a bucket and a bag for a toilet. We would encourage ourselves by reading the Bible and singing our favorite English hymns. We would weep singing songs like Mansion over the Hilltop and He is Able. We realized how rich America is with the gospel and what a godly heritage. We were moved even more to get the gospel to this spiritually barren and dark land and to begin planting a church here. Our life verse has become, with God, all things are possible. He is truly a miracle, excuse me, it is truly a miracle that God has sustained us all these years. Put yourself in this missionary's place, using a bucket and a bag for a toilet. The second scenario is a little different. Now let's suppose you're a missionary in Europe. not much different from the US. You're living in a town of 70,000 people. There are people in stores all around you. You have somewhat of a decent building. The facilities are perhaps a little better than the first scenario. You've been there for several years. You have a core group of people. As you minister, you begin to have questions about the ministry. Who do you talk to? You can't get ahold of your pastor. When we first arrived in Portugal, we did not have Skype, FaceTime, Facebook. If I'm not mistaken, it wasn't until we reached Portugal that my wife and I had our first cell phone, the flip kind. You know, there's little things, you know, the screen's about this big, you know. Phone calls were done only after 9 p.m., but they had to be done when it was convenient for the other person on the other line. That's when you begin to feel somewhat isolated. So missionaries from time to time do face this feeling of isolation or loneliness no matter where they are at. In the scriptures, we find cases where people felt isolated. For example, The Apostle Paul, perhaps one of the greatest missionaries who has ever lived, though we don't find any instance in the Bible where he willingly shared his sense of isolation, I can imagine that there were occasions where he felt alone. If you read 2 Corinthians 11, verses 23 through 27, you find sort of a list of trials that he faced. Put yourself in Paul's place. You're constantly faced with opposition for doing the will of God. You're beaten several times and you find yourself floating in the middle of the sea on a piece of a board. Would you begin to feel isolated, somewhat isolated? I also thought of Joseph who was hated by his brothers threw him into a pit, and then sold him as a slave. He was falsely accused. He found himself in prison, being forgotten by a prison mate. One thing that we do know about Joseph's case is that the Bible says on several occasions that God was with him. Think of the prophet Jeremiah, who had no wife or children. He was called by God to preach repentance to a people that will reject the message. He ministered to a group of people that did not respond to the message of truth. I imagine that loneliness or isolation became real to the weeping prophet. So this morning, we're considering this topic of isolation. Now I would like to share a few thoughts from Psalm 142. Let's read the psalm where the Bible says in verse number one, I cried unto the Lord with my voice. With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him. I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me. Catch this phrase. No man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord. I set out my refuge and my portion in the land of the living and attended to my cry. For I am brought very low, deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name, the righteous accompanies me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. This is a song written by David. The title here is the Masculine of David. That word masculine in Hebrew means instruction. And so right here in this song, we find instruction from David how to deal with isolation. This instruction comes through David's prayer that he brought before the Lord. And so the title of the lesson this morning is this, All Alone in a Cave. All Alone in a Cave. Why do you say that, Brother Luke? Well, David here is going through a time of isolation in a cave. He's running from Saul who was seeking to kill him. Hiding in a cave all alone, he came to a point that he felt that no one cared for him. Verse number four. So the real point here is that he felt a sense of detachment from people who cared. As we consider this topic of isolation, I want you to notice, first of all, the effects of isolation. This moment of isolation, if you look at verse number two, brought anxiety into David's life, affecting him emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Look at verse number two where the Bible says, as I poured out my complaint, Before him. I like to do word studies because it helps me to understand the context. Did you know that the word complaint here means anxiety? In other words, he said, I poured out my anxiety before the Lord's. And so we look at this topic, this question of isolation, and we understand that it can be a moment of uneasiness or disturbance. It brings anxiety. And not only that, if you look at my verse two, it says here, I show before him my trouble. The word trouble here means distress, anguish of body and mind. So as he's facing this loneliness in the cave, it brought anxiety. It brought this sense of stress in his life, an afflicting moment in his life. And not only that, if you look at verse 3, it says, "...when my spirit was overwhelmed within me. That phrase spirit was overwhelmed. It has the idea to become feeble, to be faint or grow weak. So as the missionary faces isolation, it can be a weakening or debilitating moment. And then verse number six. I tend not to my cry. For I am brought very low." Brought very low here has the idea to hang down, to be low emotionally, to wither or fade in strength. So there's David in the cave all alone. It brings anxiety, stress. It was a weakening, debilitating moment. It was an emotional, draining moment. So you can see how that this sense of isolation affected David emotionally, mentally, and even physically. And though David's sense of isolation came about due to persecution, if you look at verse number six, It's interesting to note that he came to the point that he recognized that this situation was stronger than he could handle on his own. Because verse number six says here, for they are stronger than I. In other words, isolation will make you realize that the situation cannot be handled in your own power. You need someone else. Here's David. It's interesting, listen to this. This instance took place in 1 Samuel chapter 24. Seven chapters earlier, he faced the Philistine giant. Here's David who faced the giant, but now he's feeling overwhelmed, alone in this current situation. Lastly, verse number seven, it's not the last point, hang on. Lastly, under the effects of isolation. We find here, I believe, another effect of isolation. He becomes so deeply depressed that he felt somewhat trapped with no way out. Bring my soul out of prison, he says. And so it's possible to come to the point when you feel or you begin to wonder if anyone knows and even cares that you're in the cave all alone. Verse number four says, there was no man that would know me. Refuge fell me. No man cared for my soul. So you see, David felt that no one acknowledged his situation, nor did they inquire his need. So let me remind you this morning, isolation is real. It can happen to any of us, not just the missionaries. And they can have these disturbing effects in our life, mentally, physically, emotionally. So how does the missionary or how does the believer deal with isolation? Well, I'm glad you asked because right here in Psalm 142, we find some keys to how to deal with isolation or this sense of loneliness. Immediately, we find here that David took a situation to God in prayer. A valuable key to overcome the sense of isolation is constant communion with God in prayer. I was thinking about this on the way to church. You know, we have someone that's even closer than a brother. And we have someone that loves us, that cares about us, and he has even provided a way for us to communicate our cares to him. Amen or not? And I'm thankful that God desires to hear from his children. So here's David all alone in the cave. He's in those unfavorable circumstances. He couldn't enter the cave and flip the switch on for the light to be on, right? He didn't have his iPhone where he can just turn on the flashlight. He probably had a torch, I don't know. He's back in that cold cave, and perhaps used a rock for his pillow. And he's wondering, does anyone care? I looked, but no one knew me. Does anyone know that I'm even in this cave? Yes, someone does know. And his name is God. On several occasions in this chapter, we find that David recognized or at least knew the value of prayer. If you look at verses 1, 2, 5, and 6, you notice that in this prayer he cried before the Lord. Verses 1 and 5. I would be a fool to tell you that being on the mission field was peachy, as my mom would say. As we've heard from Brother DeLong on several occasions, there are those uncomfortable moments. And sometimes you feel like, man, I'm alone in this uncomfortable moment. And you just have to just cry out to the Lord. And also we notice here that he made supplication to the Lord, verse number one. He cried to the Lord, he made supplication unto the Lord. In verse number two, I like this part, he poured out his heart to the Lord. He kept nothing back. Listen, God wants us to be honest and sincere in our prayers. We're not superhumans, right? David was a human being just like us. The Apostle Paul was human just like us. These missionaries are going to these fields. They're not superhumans. That's why we need to pray for them. There will be those lonely moments, but it's during those moments they can pour out their heart to God in prayer. And then verse number two also says he showed his concern. The word showed there has the idea of presenting his concern to the Lord. 1 Peter 5, 7 says, Did you know that word cast there has the idea of deposit? I often explain to the people there in Portugal that Well, nowadays you don't deposit checks very much, but you used to go to the bank and you deposit your check, right? So you would go to the counter, and there's the teller behind the counter, and you sign your check, and you give the check to the person. And listen, in order for that check to be deposited into your account, what did you have to do to that check? Well, let me say, you had to let it go, right? You have to give it to the teller. for it to be deposited into your account. Isn't it great to know that we can deposit our cares into God's account, knowing that he's going to take care of it. But for us to deposit it, we have to let it go. Sometimes we pray, but we don't want to let go of that concern, right? Here's David, he's pouring his heart out to God. I can just picture him. God, I'm all alone. No one cares. I can't find anyone that cares, but I know you care. Listen, it's those moments that's gonna get you through the sense of loneliness or isolation. There are men in the Bible who no doubt face isolation for various reasons. I thought of Daniel, who may have felt isolated for doing what was right, standing for truth. But one thing for sure is that he remained faithful in his prayer life. And I gather from this that, listen, prayer draws you closer to the one who cares. Amen? That brings me to the second point. So first of all, the first key is constant communion with God in prayer. Secondly, there needs to be a committed recognition of God's presence. I read that missionaries must intentionally pursue intimacy with Christ and learn to abide in him long before they ever crossed geographical, cultural, and linguistic barriers. Missionaries, you need to learn to rely on God's presence right now before you even cross the border into Mexico or Siberia or Central Asia. And we were talking in the podcast, and Pastor was asking, well, what are some of the keys? You need to develop your relationship with Christ right now before you even leave before the field. Now, though you may be a missionary feeling all alone in a remote village, in the Arctic Circle, in the bush of South Africa, or even a layman standing alone in a busy metropolis city where no one shares the Christian faith, one thing is for sure, God will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13, five. So during times of sensing isolation, it's important to rest on the promise of God's presence. You know, when you read the story of Joseph, As I already mentioned, on several occasions, you will find verses that say that God was with him. And it was brought to light, someone brought this to my attention, on those occasions, it says that some people noticed that God was with Joseph. Right? So people around him knew that God was with him. Listen, believers are not immune to feeling some isolation at times. But the good news is that you're not alone. I like how David mentions here verse number, where's it at here? Verse number four. Refuge failed me. Refuge failed me. And then verse 5, I cried unto thee, O Lord, I said, thou art my refuge. This word refuge means shelter. A refuge that, unfortunately, he did not find in others around him. So I take from this that in isolation, the believer can find comfort knowing that he is surrounded by the arms of one who cares for him. It's a presence that is promised and will never change. And not only that, resting in the presence of God, there's an acknowledgement that He is our source of happiness and blessing because David says, Thou art my portion. in the land of living. So our sufficiency, our satisfaction comes from God. When you are feeling lonely, it's great to know that we can find comfort, safety, satisfaction, and yes, even joy in the Lord. Lastly, I like what David says in verse number three. So we're looking at keys to help us in times of isolation or loneliness. There's that constant communion with God in prayer. There's that committed recognition of God's presence. And thirdly, look at verse number three, where it says, when my spirit was overwhelmed within me, listen to this, then thou knewest my path. Notice that word newest. This teaches us that as we deal with isolation, God is conscious. He's aware of where we're at, what we're going through. He knows our path. He knew our path long before we knew the path. Does that make sense? So the third key is consciousness of God's perception or his awareness of our situation. God knows where we are at. He knows what we're going through. God knew that David would face persecution from Saul. God knew that it would drive David to that cave that day. And this teaches us that God is aware of what goes on in our life and that we are not alone. There are moments of feeling isolated that he is aware of, and his knowledge of our situation ought to bring peace in our life. So the key here is to trust in the loving awareness of our God, who is our personal God. Remember, God will never lead you to a place where his presence will not be promised. God will never lead you to a place where his presence will not be promised. So I think, as I conclude this morning, I conclude with the words of David, here in verse number seven, where he says, bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. The righteous shall compass me about, for thou shalt deal, excuse me, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. It seems to me that David understood that God was going to answer his prayer. And as a result, there was going to be rejoicing. And there's rejoicing because he knows that God will deal bountifully with him. And the righteous will come, and they will rejoice with him as they witness the goodness of God. I mentioned our missionary in Rankin, Canada, who said that they face isolation on the field due to lack of Christian fellowship. This same father is concerned for his teenage girls who have no Christian friends. What I didn't tell you is that he mentioned to me in the same email that he was not complaining because he knew that God is their portion and it gives them the strength to keep going on despite the hardship and despite the discouragement they face. You see, the missionary has to learn to depend on God in those moments. Also, with the missionary in Greenland, If you noticed in his testimony, it was during those times of loneliness and isolation that they focused on Christ. They sang hymns and they relied on the promises of God. They looked up verses. Do you remember when Paul and Silas were in the prison? What did they do? They sang and they prayed. Thank God that we have a God who is a personal God And He loves us. And we can enter into His presence at any time in prayer, knowing that He is aware of everything that takes place in our lives. He's right there to sustain us with His grace. So these keys are not just for the missionaries. These keys are also for you this morning. There may be times that you've already felt lonely or isolated, or you will. Let's remember these three keys and let's not forget to pray for the missionaries that they would rest in the promised presence of God. Thank you for listening. If you would like to contact us, please write us at P.O. Box 126-541 Harrisburg, PA 17112 and visit our website at www.svbcpa.org. Until next time!