“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”— Deuteronomy 31:6
“We have drugs for people with diseases like leprosy,” Mother Teresa once said. “But these drugs do not treat the main problem, the disease of being unwanted. That’s what my sisters hope to provide. The sick and poor suffer even more from rejection than material want. Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”
The ultimate pain that Christ came to heal was the pain of being separated from the Father we were created to enjoy forever. The ache of loneliness we experience on earth is just a symptom of that broken relationship.
But through the Gospel, you don’t have to be overcome by the pain of loneliness – because you’re never alone! Just as He promised to never leave nor forsake the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land, so God promises to hold you close and go with you through every storm you face.
Nothing in all of creation, as Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39, can separate you from the One who loves you and wants you to find your peace in Him.
So remember today that you’re not alone. And move forward in the confidence of knowing that your heavenly Father goes with you!
Prayer Challenge
Pray that God would drive loneliness from your heart with a fresh assurance of His presence.
Questions for thought
Who are some great heroes of the Bible who experienced seasons of loneliness?
Do you think God ever allows us to experience loneliness for a reason? What might that be?