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To those of you who may be struggling with loneliness at this time, let me remind you that it’s part of being human. Christians are vulnerable to feelings of loneliness and it is not necessarily a spiritual issue. Loneliness is a human condition that is common to everyone at some times in their lives.
However, if you deal with loneliness in the wrong way, it could lead you to form harmful relationships, to settle for inappropriate relationships, to go places and do things you know are not right just to try to find companionship and stop those feelings of loneliness. We all need friends and a support system, but the wrong friends will do you far more harm than good.
And keep this in mind: If you try to fill up that lonely place in your heart with people, before looking first to Jesus Christ, you are setting yourself up for further disappointment and it could simply make your loneliness worse rather than better. I had to learn this some years ago, when I had to make a choice to first seek the presence of Christ, to get to know him better, to allow his love to become more real and more powerful in my life, instead of trying to solve my loneliness by desperately looking for a meaningful relationship.
One way to combat feelings of loneliness is to quote scripture and fill your mind with truth that can set you free. In verse 6 of Psalm 42, we read, “My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you…” Now this is a very good technique and habit for all of us to learn. When we feel lonely, we should then force ourselves to remember and recite out loud God’s goodness to us in times past.
Are you having a tough time today, feeling alone and lonely? Then, stop right now and talk to yourself; find some place where you can say something like, “Look, Mary, what is your problem? The God of all the universe loves you and cares for you, he’s met your need time and again. Remember that Jesus will never leave you or forsake you, and you have a wonderful Friend in Jesus.” Finding relief from loneliness is often a choice we make to replace wrong thoughts with right thoughts and decide to live in the truth of God’s Word.
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