Be Lonely No More

Many of us move through life and from time to time that lonely feeling takes hold. The deepness of that lonely feeling is one that leaches on with almost no end in sight for relief.

Psalm 139

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

We often feel lonely because we don’t have someone with us. Sometimes we can be in a crowded room and still feel like we are all alone. For two years I felt lonely from a companion standpoint, but somewhere along the line I found comfort in Christ. I wasn’t sure I’d meet anyone but when it came down to it, my biggest problem was my lack of trust in the Lord. When we truly take some time to think about Paul and his journey can you imagine how hard those would have been? Being lonely in your heart is an absence of Jesus. When we take some time to look through the psalm above, we can see David talking about how deeply God knew him, how God knew every part of him and his heart. When we put some thought, real thought in how special we must be to God knowing the creator of the universe also knows us intimately. We don’t have to live alone in this world because we are never alone so long as we allow Jesus to remain in our hearts.

Being patient with the Lord isn’t easy. We know that the Lord doesn’t want us to be alone, but there is a season for everything, and sometimes we are meant to be alone for a while. We don’t always know why, but when we put our faith in the Lord and we know that God has plans for us to prosper not for harm. God may not give us the relationship we want, but He always provides what we need. We need to focus on what we do have, not what we want. Trust in the Father to look out for you and know that He is truly with you while you’re sleeping, while your awake, knows when your naughty, and knows when you’re nice.

     I have spent a long time feeling lonely. I have watched and longed as friends dated, friends married, friends have had kids and even some have had grandkids and I have sinned with envy. I felt lonely of companionship but my brain and my heart were at odds. Knowing my God is with me always. Knowing God knows of all my heart and of my tongue. I cannot hide away from the Lord. If I cannot hide my transgression, then too shall I ever be alone? No, truly Jesus Christ loves me enough to comfort my heart, to bless me daily, and has delivered me from Hell Fire.

I’m not a perfect man, no I’m the farthest thing from. I have so long placed my hope in people to satisfy the lonely heart I had. That’s not to say you won’t desire someone, but be careful how strong you allow the desire to be. Do not allow yourself to place any heartfelt wish above Jesus Christ. If you cannot focus on Jesus, if Christ isn’t your first, you are last. Be open to the Love of God and hold fast to God’s plans.