Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. — Psalm 25:16
Loneliness has never been a respecter of persons; it intrudes into the lives of those who live in palaces, skyscrapers, the suburbs, and village huts. The world’s greatest artists, writers, composers, kings and queens, and carpen- ters and plumbers experience loneliness. Movies depict the lives of so many lonely people. Some of the loneliest people are famous; they are in a world to themselves.
Are you lonely?
A professor of psychology says there are two basic causes of loneliness: the feeling that we don’t belong and the feeling that no one understands us.
If I could ask, “Are you lonely?” the answer from many would be yes. Even in a large crowd, we can feel alone. When we go home, even if our family is there, sometimes loneliness remains. Why? Because we’re lonely for God. We were made in the image of God, for fellowship with Him.
God didn’t create Adam and Eve because He was lonely, as some say. God is complete in Himself; He lacks nothing. But He makes it possible for us to have an abundant life in Him. So what makes us lonely?
Mobility and constant change tend to make some individuals feel rootless and disconnected. Loneliness is also a principal cause of both alcoholism and drug abuse as an effort to escape it. But it doesn’t work.
- Loneliness creeps in because something is missing from our lives. Too often, we’ve neglected our spirit, leaving us lonely and searching to fill a void.
What we need is reconciliation to God. Before we accept Christ, we’re separated from God. Scripture teaches that we were sinners even in our mother’s womb (Psalm 51:5). We’re all sinners; we’ve broken the laws of God, and we’re born with that tendency. How do we bridge the gap?
We need to come to the cross and bring our sins to Jesus for forgiveness and redemption — and leave them there.
It was on the cross that Christ died for our sins and shed His blood. He takes the two arms of the cross, wraps them around us, and says, “I love you.”
All Kinds of Lonely
There are several kinds of loneliness. There’s the loneliness of society. Homeless people are everywhere. I once gave a man on Fifth Avenue some money at Christmastime, and I asked him what his main problem was. He said, “I’m so alone.”
Jesus once looked at a paralyzed man who said,
Sir... I have no one to help me. — John 5:7
Thirty-eight years he was alone, until Jesus singled him out. He became that man’s friend that day, and He healed him. He can become your friend.
After Dwight Eisenhower became president of the United States, he was asked what his favorite hymn was, and he responded, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” He knew he needed a friend.
I remember when he invaded Normandy. He stood on the coast of England up on a bluff, and his head was bowed. He sent me a picture of that years later, and he wrote, “I found a friend, and that friend is Jesus.”
Loneliness is found even in the intimacy of marriage. But even in the midst of that love, some feel so alone. A marriage based only on physical attraction or romantic emotions may be doomed to failure right from the start.
- Loneliness is an inner dimension. It’s a thirst for the Spirit for God.
You may not recognize it as a thirst for God, but that’s what it is. The Bible says your mind, your body, your soul, and your spirit — made in the image of God — are thirsty for Him. The roots of loneliness are in each of us.
There is also the loneliness of suffering. Christ gives us hope that suffering is going to come to an end and we’ll exchange the suffering on earth for the glory of Heaven! The apostle Paul said,
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. — Romans 8:18
Revelation 21:4 says,
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Then there’s the loneliness of sorrow. Jesus wept at the funeral of a friend. He said,
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. — John 11:25–26
That’s the hope He gives to those who are suffering in sorrow.
Excerpted with permission from God's Strength for Hard Times by Billy Graham, copyright The Billy Graham Literary Foundation.
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Your Turn
Are you lonely? Turn to Jesus. Are you going through hard times? He is right there ready to give you comfort and friendship. Lean in! ~ Devotionals Daily