It seems incredible to me, and maybe to you as well, that on a planet of millions of people, in this world of school, work, sports, church, organizations, family, friends and a whole host of other options, there are people where one emotion would describe their world.
LONELINESS
Singer, Roy Orbison (probably before your time) captured that emotion in a song he called “Only the Lonely.” A couple of the lines were “Only the lonely know the way I feel tonight…Only the lonely know the heartaches I’ve been through.” That song resonated with a lot of people.
The soft rock group, America (again, probably before your time), sang, “This is for all the lonely people/Thinking that life has passed them by/Don’t give up ’til you drink from the silver cup/And ride that highway to the sky.” Yeah…like many of America’s lyrics I’m not totally sure what that is saying except, “Don’t quit. Don’t give up. There is someone who cares.”
Dan Peek, the writer of that song, once said that even though he had achieved success, he had cut ties with his family and friends, and was in fact, lonely.
Tragic isn’t it? One has the world by its proverbial tail and still has nothing. One can have it all; one can have nothing; and still be lonely.
Jesus spent 3 1/2 years with many lonely people. But He didn’t leave them lonely. The woman scorned by so many, bankrupt because of a blood issue, took one last grasp to the hem of Jesus’ garment and was made whole. The man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 who was abandoned and had no one to help get him into the water found his health and purpose when Jesus reached out to Him and said he was healed. The outcast leper (multiple times) whom Jesus touched and healed and gave life and hope back to him.
Maybe you. I want you to know you are not alone. I don’t know your situation, and you possibly don’t know me. I want you to know that if you reach out to me, I’ll listen. I’ll listen because I have Jesus in me and He doesn’t want you lonely.
Oh…and by the way: Dan Peek changed his tune. Before He passed away in 2011, he came to know Jesus and left America because he tired of the emptiness of the sex and drugs lifestyle. He found the solution to being lonely. You can too. It is not in stuff or pursuits. It is a Person. His name is Jesus.
I remember both those songs, Bill, so I guess that gives my age away – lol! Even with all the tech we have today, so many people are still lonely. May all of them realize that Jesus stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to invite Him in. He will heal our loneliness.
Blessings!
i feel so much better Martha knowing I’m not alone! 🙂 But it is sad, but true, about the loneliness even with all the tech stuff. Sad.
A few of us still remember Orbison’s “Only the Lonely.” But I didn’t know the back story. And I remember “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles, with its refrain of “All the lonely people, where do they come from?”
i remember the Beatles song as well Glynn. It wasn’t one of my favorites but I sure could have used that refrain in my devo. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
if anything, we’re lonelier than ever as we sit mindlessly in front of our screens, looking for something that will never satisfy.
So very true Linda.
Isn’t it interesting in a world population approaching 8 billion people, that we can still be lonely.
With a God that so desires for us to be connected… yet we (I) often just fail to initiate or even reciprocate.
Loneliness in many ways is about perspective. I am not going to discount the emotion or the feeling, but the fastest way to eliminate loneliness is to do something for someone else. Reach out, volunteer, or even just pick up the phone and give someone you haven’t spoke with in awhile a call. Human connection is important… almost as important as our connection with God.
it is sad, Ryan, that with so many people there are lonely ones. But I love your suggestions for getting out of our bubble and finding a solution to that loneliness.
There are certainly different types of loneliness, and some that are short lived. The type of loneliness that lives in a person without hope in Jesus Christ, is by far the worst type of loneliness there is. To feel like all hope is gone, there is no one to turn too, you cannot fix it on your own, and no one cares about you, is a low no one should feel.The good news is, that to trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, to help you not feel this way, is available to anyone who wants to have Jesus in their life. However, christians need to reach out to these lost souls and help them understand the truth and to find Christ. Chances are they cannot find the hope in Christ without someone coming along their side to guide them to the truth. We all need to look for the lonely people around us, and take the time to listen to their story.
Very true Gail. The hope found in Christ is the solution to the loneliness so many feel. Sadly, many either don’t know or want to know. We, of course, are the ones He uses to alleviate that by telling about the hope we have in Christ. May it increase.
I can’t say enough about loneliness. However it does have it’s place in our lives. I love America, even though they were/are kinda right at the end of my life… whatever it is I am trying to say, lol.
I will say that we are truly never alone, as we all know. However some of us single people… It’s just strange because as Stevie sings “For once in my life I have someone who needs me”..
Yeah it’s not perfect. Nothing is.
Ministry can be a very lonely place, also. There is part of it that can only be walked with God alone—places where others cannot be let in, such as the awesome weight of handling the Word of God, knowing that behind every set of eyes watching you as you preach is an eternity-bound soul. A lot of things come to mind after reading your post tonight, Pastor Bill. I so appreciate your writing & your faithfulness to God’s call on your life. May He bless you abundantly.
It is true Cheryl. But I have some trusted people I can go to. I have a wife who stands with me. but most of all, I have a God who promised to never leave me. Thanks for the kind words.