Lonely: November 13, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2014.

LONELY

DEFINITION:

A depressing feeling about being alone; destitute of sympathetic or friendly companionship; without company; isolated.

SCRIPTURE:

No one stood with me, but all forsook me. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. II Timothy 4: 16-17.

Look to the right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to You O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of living.” Psalm 142:4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We have noticed over the past several years that there are many lonely people in this world, more than any other time we can remember. We receive emails every day from wonderful friends like you and a day never goes by without someone telling us how lonely and hurting they are.

We respond to each of these people because we want them to know two important things. First of all, if they have a relationship with Jesus, He is with them every moment of every day and they must communicate with God by prayer and read the Bible so God can respond to their needs through His Word.

We also want them to know that we will pray for them and we care for them. In Psalm 68:6 the Psalmist says, “God makes a home for the lonely. He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.” Many of us are “PRISONERS” to some issue and that is the basis of our loneliness. God provides a way out and promises us prosperity.

How many times in life have you really felt lonely? When David wrote Psalm 142 he was hiding in a cave to escape from Saul’s men who were seeking to capture him. He felt that he was totally abandoned by everyone and that no one was even concerned whether he lived or died. He was truly alone. Saul had been chasing him for years and was seeking to kill him so that he would not become King of Israel.

David had to live on the run, fleeing from one place to another. There was no one he could trust or confide in for fear they would betray him. He had every reason to feel extremely lonely.

David knew there was someone he could trust and confide in. He was confident that God loved him and cared for him and that he could call on him at his time of need wherever he was. Regardless of his circumstances he knew that God was there with him and that God heard his prayers. David trusted God to keep him safe and to protect him. God had chosen David to be the next king after Saul. David trusted that God would fulfill His plan for his life.

The verses from II Timothy were from the letter that Paul wrote while he was in prison and feeling lonely. In the Roman legal system of the day a person had two hearings. The first hearing established the charge and would rule if there was evidence enough for a trial. This is when Paul told Timothy that no one came to stand with him and testify for him. This was a very lonely time for Paul because he needed support from his friends and they were not there.

Paul’s friends had deserted him but in verse 17 Paul says that the Lord was there with him. The Lord fulfilled his promise, given in Joshua 1:5, when He said that he would never leave or forsake those who belong to Him. That promise is good for us today and in our moments of loneliness we must remember, as Paul did, that our Lord will never leave us or forsake us if we are His child and our complete trust is in Him.

The loneliest people in the world are those that do not know the Lord. Where is their hope? Who can they rely on in their time of need?

There are many situations in life that bring on loneliness both to the believer and the non-believer such as the separation from a spouse or being rejected by a child. When these moments come people look to money, watching TV, playing games or visiting with a friend. They do this to keep their mind off of the problem. This will not get rid of the loneliness because these are mere distractions, not solutions.

In our travels we have seen so many people living in unbelievable poverty feeling hopelessly alone and hurting. But one thing we have noticed is the contrast between the lonely that know Jesus and the lonely that do not know Jesus.

Think about the lonely time that Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane just hours before His death on the cross. On the cross Jesus cried out to God, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me.” He understood that He alone would pay the penalty of sin so that all humanity could have the blessed hope of spending an eternity with God. He hung on the cross separated from God, His father, by our sins. He has experienced how it feels to be abandoned and all alone and He has compassion for us when we feel lonely.

If you are feeling alone and feel that no one is near, talk to God. He is waiting for you to come to Him and He will never leave you nor forsake you if you put your trust in Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 4:19:

God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER:

Help me to be an encouragement today to someone that is lonely. Help me to be faithful to pray for a world that is lonely and needs You as their Savior.