Overcoming Loneliness #1 of 2
The world has a greater population now more than ever, yet loneliness seems to persist like never before. Someone can live in the largest city, have a big family, be involved in a thriving ministry, and have people all around them while still feeling lonely. Loneliness isn’t something that’s new. Check out a few people in the Bible that were in the crosshairs of loneliness:
- David was anointed by God to be the next king, but soon he was being chased by a mad king and forced to live in a cave. He had to leave his family, friends, and comforts because of King Saul’s jealousy. David loved God, yet had to live in isolation. Talk about being lonely!
- Joseph had a dream that he would be a great leader, yet he was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was mistreated as a slave and his father thought he was dead. Talk about being lonely!
- Daniel was one of the Hebrew children stolen from his homeland to grow up under the wicked king Nebuchadnezzar. He went from being liked by the authorities to being thrown into a lion’s den. Talk about being lonely!
- Moses was raised as the grandson of Pharaoh. He had the best education, unlimited authority, plenty of money, and pretty much anything he desired. Yet he was exiled to the desert and was soon overlooking livestock. After forty years of being alone in the desert, he led God’s people out of Egypt, but then the same people he helped complained and criticized him. Even his siblings turned on him. Talk about being lonely!
- The Apostle Paul was saved and his life totally changed. His greatest desire was to preach Christ, yet he was rejected by many Christians, run out of town frequently, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and hated. Talk about being lonely!
- The well-known prophet Elijah saw God’s miraculous hand manifested in Israel. God sent fire from Heaven when Elijah asked. Israel was turning to God and the enemies of God were defeated. Even so, Elijah ran to a cave to escape everyone. When God asked Elijah what he was doing in the cave, he replied, “I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (I Kings 19:9-10). He was believing a lie! Elijah was not alone, he just felt like he was. And this same feeling is still happening to many people today. It’s not true, but many believe they’re alone, that no one cares, that no one understands, and that God has forsaken them.
Much of the loneliness is not a physical problem; it’s a false perception of reality. Let’s turn the light on loneliness and discover the truth of the matter. Below are some ways we can overcome the loneliness in our lives.
Draw closer.
Let your loneliness drive you to a deeper relationship with God. Loneliness is a test that finds out from where it is that you draw your strength and hope. God longs for His children to get to know Him better. Through prayer, through the Bible, and through crying out to Him, you can use that scary silence and loneliness to draw near to your Creator. The positive side of loneliness is that there are no distractions stopping you from drawing closer and knowing more intimately the One who made and loves you. Praying to God allows you to know someone else is carrying the load with you - God! Singing to God changes your mood, uplifts your spirit, and expresses truths flowing from your heart to God’s ears. Quoting or reflecting on God’s Word will get your heart and mind out of darkness and into light. Loneliness doesn’t have to be the end for you. Allow it to push you closer and into a deeper relationship with God.
Next week, we will continue the study by offering more tools to overcome loneliness.