I'm Just Saying! (Loneliness)

At one point in time, we have been lonely.  Some more lonely than others.  Admitting loneliness is not a negative confession but an honest, often humbling expression of human need.  

The desire for companionship is a legitimate need. God Himself recognized fellowship as a valid need. Gen 2:18 "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone..." 

Man was created a social being, with the need for others. 1 Cor 12:21 "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' ..." We need look no further than the Godhead (the Trinity) Himself, in Whose image we were created. Man was created a *tripartite (*composed of or divided into three parts) being, with the capacity for fellowship, even as the Spirit fellowships with the Son, and the Son with the Father.  We can choose to take advantage of our time alone and embrace it with a godly purpose, as His provision for us. If we use it to spend time with Him, it can become a productive experience with positive results. Time alone should be embraced as an opportunity for uninterrupted  prayer. For example Old age; widowhood! Timothy 5:5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.  The life of Jesus Christ is another example, Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

This should be often - as a habit, not a last result; as the rule, not the exception.  Luke 5:16 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."  God has a solution for loneliness. Draw near to God. (Scripture provides us with several spiritual consolations.)   

• Deut 31:6, 8 "Be strong and courageous... The Lord himself ... will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you..."
•  Psa 22:1, 11, 16 "... My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? ... Do not be far from me,  for trouble is near and there is no one to help...."
• Jn 8:16, 29 "... I am not alone.... The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone ..."
• Jn 16:32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered,each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me."
• Josh 1:5 "... As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
• Jas 4:4 "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."
• Heb 13:5 "... God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will  I forsake you."

Notice the Word of God tells us that being alone HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE!  As a believer why do we consider ourselves lonely when God is our refuge?  We should be able to run to God with ALL our needs and concerns.  David express his feelings of loneliness in song and poetry which has blessed multitudes for centuries.  Psa 25:16; 102:7; 142.

However, not all solitude yields a positive spiritual impact.  If we are driven to solitude, the source may be demonic. Luke 8:29 "For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places."

Loneliness can lead to suicidal thoughts, even for the most spiritual of men.  Job felt so misunderstood and rejected by his friends, he wanted to die.  Job 7:16 I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning."   

Elijah felt so alone he wanted to die.  1 Kings 19:3-5 "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.  All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 

Bottom line, It is a deception of the enemy, to get us away from the rest of the flock so he can destroy us. Apart from the church, we will lack the provisions necessary for spiritual survival:  teaching, discipline, communal worship and prayer, opportunities to serve others, etc. Thinking we are independent of others and in need of no one is not a commendable trait, but evidence of a deeper spiritual problem.

Are you still lonely?  I'm Just Saying!

 

Sincerely,