Stephen spoke this morning on the subject of loneliness, asking if it is possible for Christians to feel lonely and if Jesus ever felt lonely. Certainly when He was on the cross, Jesus expressed feelings of abandonment and rejection (asking why God had forsaken him), and it is true that many of us often lack a sense of God’s presence even if we know the promise that He will never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5).
Loneliness is a form of isolation, quite different from solitude. God declared that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen 2:18) and since we are created in God’s image, we are clearly made for deep and meaningful relationships, for community, for ‘togetherness’, largely because God Himself is a triune God (Father, Son and Spirit involved in intimacy, a ‘holy hug’ we all aspire to.) We are called to participate in the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4) and therefore have a need for relationships. Our sin separates us from God, but even after we are reconciled to God, we may feel isolated and alone.
To guard against feelings of loneliness, we have to follow the ‘one another’ practices found in Scripture which encourage us to live as part of a wider community; thus, we must love one another, encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11), honour one another (Rom 12:10) and value one another (Phil 2:3). If we feel lonely even in the safety of God’s presence – a loneliness that often comes from the pain of loss and the hurt we inflict on each other at times – we have to be aware that drawing close to God in solitude is not the same as feeling isolated. God’s presence with us (Ps 73:23) can help us through really difficult times (Ps 23:1-6) and help us to fear no evil.
Loneliness comes to us all at times, but God wants us to grasp hold of His presence so that we grow closer to him and to each other as we learn to value the family of God in which He has placed us.