Most people have at some point experienced loneliness, and are ashamed to talk about it. It leaves them feeling naked, exposed, vulnerable. This message is for all. It's for those who are in a relationship and those who aren't, those who have endured hardship, those who have been hurt or wounded, lost a loved one, moved to a new place, had successful or less than successful careers, made poor decisions, the sick, those who have had family issues, felt like an outsider, those who long for friendship, the married, and those who long for a lifelong companion. We have all been acquainted with loneliness in some shape or form.
Loneliness is not a result of our circumstances. It is a result of our sin, first and foremost. In our rebellion against God, the chasm grew wide between us and Him, the only one who is truly righteous. Ever since the first sin was committed in the garden of Eden, we have all ached for the one who knows us, fully understands us, and yet loves us anyway. Those who don't yet know the Lord are blinded from seeing that their relational desires are actually for the One who created them in His very image. This world offers no lasting fulfillment. We search for it, we create idols for ourselves, we set our hope in all the wrong places, and as we come up empty, we keep looking. It has been and continues to be an ongoing cycle throughout humanity.
These words are for all to hear, both Christians and non-Christians. God desperately desires our love. His love for us is wildly passionate, intimate, mysterious, and far more amazing than any other love on this earth. Why does He offer it to us? I'll never quite understand. But I do know that that it's not simply for our delight, but also for His. He takes joy in being in relationship with us. This divine love is ultimately for the glory of His name.
If there is anything you hear, hear this: You are not alone. The Lord is not far off, He is close to you.
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34:8)
Jesus was..."a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Is. 53:3)
Upon moments of loneliness in recently moving to San Francisco, I was tempted to believe it's simply that I know few people here. "As I come to know, love, and serve those in my community, it'll all change..." was a thought of mine. The Spirit convicted me that He has not only allowed me a season of loneliness, but He has purposed it to me for my good. It is a result of His grace, that I might come to know Him more. His desire is to satisfy my aching heart and demonstrate to me that I possess all I need in Christ.
If this season were to last forever, I would still be joyful. In God, there is great cause to rejoice. After all, He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Through His divine power, he has "granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (2 Pet. 1:3). Dear friends, let us fix on minds on the Lord. Let us rejoice and give thanks to God, the One who satisfies the deepest desires of our hearts, the one loves us beyond all measure.
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