Only the Lonely - Psalm 148:18

Psalm 148:18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. (NIV)

                       

Like everyone else, I experience from loneliness from time to time. It’s an odd feeling, especially when it occurs in a crowded room or when I’m with a small company of friends. I get lost in my own thoughts and feel isolated from everything or everyone around me. I know I can be a distant introvert at times, but loneliness goes beyond that. I feel as though I’m missing something or someone in my life and that there is some sort of primeval emptiness or existential gap.

Some theologians would say that I’m actually missing God and that the loneliness in my life exists because I’m really longing to be reconnected to my Creator. The chasm that exists between us makes me feel isolated and vulnerable, unprotected and all alone. I can’t do anything to mend the breach or bridge the gap, so I’m stuck on this side of eternity, missing my Maker and feeling forsaken.

And then something amazing happens. As I call out to God in prayer, His presence fills my heart. As I reach out to God like a child holding out hands to a parent, I am suddenly lifted up spiritually and embraced by God. The loneliness lifts and my isolation ends. I am restored to God’s favor and reconnected to His love. What the psalmist wrote all of those centuries ago turns out to be true: God comes near to all who call on Him.

Perhaps you’re feeling lonely, too. Maybe you’ve lost your confidence or purpose and end up feeling isolated, misunderstood, or even unloved. Whatever the case, please call on the Lord, even as you are reading this short message. If you do, then I firmly believe that God will draw near to you and allow His presence to touch your mind, heart, and soul with His love.

Point to ponder

When I feel lonely, do I talk to God? When I talk to God, does my loneliness lift?

Prayer: Lord God, when I experience loneliness or isolation, allow me the comfort of Your presence. Keep me from feeling forsaken and bring me closer to You. In Christ’s Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along any Sunday and join us for worship at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest lectionary drawings for Psalm 54. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm54.

Only the Lonely

John 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. (NIV)

Loneliness is something that afflicts every one of us from time to time. There are moments in our lives when we feel vulnerable, isolated, and even alienated from our friends and families, as well as the people around us. Each person has to get through life as best as she or he can. Every one of us goes through this journey we call life uniquely and individually.

Sometimes our loneliness is caused by our actions. We paint ourselves into a corner through making the wrong choices. At other times, we are fiercely independent, not willing to look for help or support from our friends or families. And then there are those occasions when we stand out against the crowd, believing in things that others don’t, or struggling to be different from the rest of society.

No matter what causes our loneliness, how we cope with it reveals our strengths and weaknesses, our characteristics and personality traits. For Jesus, loneliness meant speaking out against injustice, going against traditions, and preaching an unpopular message. His loneliness was brought on by remaining true to His calling and obeying God. It’s something that Paul would later describe as being true to oneself.

In recent weeks, I’ve come across people who think, act and do things differently from what I believe, say, and do. In the past, I’ve often dismissed them as being sad, weird, and disillusioned people. I’ve not credited them with the courage to be different. I’ve not respected their wishes to walk a different path. I’ve not recognized that God makes each of us unique with a different set of characteristics, personalities, and ideas. One such person is Ngia who writes the Wayside Pulpit blog. She has written about the loneliness of being a Progressive Christian. It is a remarkable statement of personal faith.

Loneliness can be a feeling of being unloved, but it can also be a calling to explore the unexplainable, to walk the unattainable, and to believe the untraditional. In other words, there are lessons to be learned, acquired and experienced in the lonely heart that hunts for meaning, purpose, and truth.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, loneliness is a part of life. We belong to many groups, societies, and organizations, but we are still individuals who experience existence in different ways. When we feel isolated and vulnerable, give us the perseverance to endure. When we feel that we are out on a limb, alone and all by ourselves, grant us the courage to sustain our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and opinions. And when at last we walk through the valley of the shadow of death on our own, come near to us and take us by the hand. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.