The Leader and Loneliness (Pastor Mendes)

The leader and loneliness

We can say that a leader goes through moments of extreme loneliness. But there are also times when a leader can rely, in making decisions, on a smaller group they trust completely, or a larger group for broader decisions.

The hardest situation is when a leader has to act alone and there is no one to share it with. These are moments of deep conviction that the decision is theirs alone. They are very rare, but they do happen. That is why it is essential for a leader to be called and deeply intimate with God.

The Bible mentions two great leaders who experienced moments of solitude in their decisions: Jesus and Abraham.

In His agony in Gethsemane (Mt 26.36-39), Jesus went with His disciples to pray. In verse 36 He says, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He takes Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him (v.37). In verse 38 He says, “Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” Notice that His decision was made alone, because He distanced Himself from everyone else; that moment of decision was His alone. Can you imagine if Peter had heard Jesus’ prayer?

Abraham was also a leader who had his moment of decision alone, Gn 22.

Who could he share with the decision to kill, to sacrifice his own son? Tell Sarah? Tell his counselors? I can imagine Sarah hearing from her husband that he was going to kill Isaac, the child of the promise. I believe that both Sarah and the elders would have considered him mad and would have done everything they could to stop him from obeying God. It was his moment of decision, and his alone.

I have also made a decision on my own, aiming at a greater cause: peace in the Body of Christ. God led me, giving me full conviction to act that way. Leader, there are moments when it is you, God, and no one else.