Discovering the Cure for the Lonely Heart
Loneliness has plagued us all at some point in our lives. It’s that feeling you get when all you desire is a friend, yet you feel all alone. No one could possibly understand what you’re going through or dealing with. You feel isolated. The world is moving on without you.
First of all, it’s important to note that no one is ever truly alone. We believe we’re alone, but more often than not, the isolation we feel is just that – a feeling. Looking back at the times in my life when I felt the loneliest, I can easily see that I had people in my life that genuinely cared. I simply couldn’t get past my feelings to see it at the time.
Secondly, we all have Jesus. He will never leave us or forsake us. Even if you don’t claim Christianity, God loves you deeply. He desires to have a relationship with you. Never lose sight of that fact. Even in your loneliest hour, you are loved by the Creator of the universe.
Believe it or not, God cares deeply about your feelings. According to the poet John Milton, “Loneliness was the first thing that God’s eye named not good.” In the Garden of Eden, Adam was alone. One of the main reasons for Eve’s creation was to cure Adam’s lonely heart.
God created us with the need for companionship. We all desire to feel loved. Even those who claim they are “better off alone,” feel this need. No man (or woman) was meant to go through life isolated from the world.
Our need for relationship was instilled in us when God created the world. His desire is that we would come to Him to fulfill this need in our lives. Loneliness occurs when we look to the world to meet our relational needs instead of God.
When we surrender our lives to God, we become part of His kingdom. We not only inherit salvation and eternal life, we are adopted into the family of God. With Him as our heavenly Father, the church becomes our brothers and sisters in Christ. God’s intention for this family was that we would love and serve one another. Even those that the world deems “unlovable” will find love in the family of God.
So what does the enemy do with this information? He lies to us and he does everything in his power to keep the church from living out the call of Christ to love, serve, and encourage.
For those of us with a lonely heart, he convinces us that we are unlovable. That God could never love us enough to see us as His son or daughter. That the church would write us off if they had any idea how sinful we truly were.
Or perhaps you’ve bought into the lie that you’re the only one who knows your pain. That no one could possibly understand the hurts and scars you bear. (This is one lie that I have personally believed countless times.)
- Jesus knows and understands your pain.
He [Jesus] was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)
- Your feelings do matter.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. – 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. – Psalm 147:3 (NLT)
- You are special to God.
What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. – Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT)
- You were created for a purpose.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
- You are loved.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 (NLT)
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? …No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. – Romans 8:35, 37 (NLT)
The truth of God’s love for you can cure a lonely heart.
Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a post! You can also follow the blog via Twitter and Facebook.
