Are You Lonesome Tonight?
As we move into short days and long nights, it becomes easier to feel discouraged. If we are increasingly secluded (by weather and, this year, by governmental edict), we can experience genuine loneliness. I enjoy being alone, but I have a choice in the matter; others do not. Solitude occurs when we want to be alone; loneliness happens when friends and family are taken from us. Solitude soothes, whereas loneliness looms. Because God knows all about us, His Word speaks to us about the painful subject of loneliness. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
A verse that I have often contemplated is Psalm 102:7: “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” I have known a number of lonely people, each of whom could be called “a sparrow alone.” Sparrows are social creatures; people, created in the image of the Triune God, are even more desirous of interaction. Often, far too often, though, our good relationships end far too soon. In stark and simple terms, loneliness is frequently combined with grief. Genesis 2:18 says, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’ (As an aside, it should be noted that I Corinthians 7 presents singleness as a God-ordained option in serving Jesus Christ.) A good marriage honors God and helps mightily to avoid loneliness, but the death of a spouse then becomes a mighty blow. To deny the forlorn and forsaken feelings accompanying the loss of a spouse (or someone close to us) is to oppose the clear teaching of the Word of God. Yes, loneliness can be crushingly debilitating, but God does provide aid. In addition to the encouraging truths that we have considered in the last several days, let us also remember the power of the family of God. The imagery of ”The body of Christ” (I Corinthians 12:27) is particularly meaningful. The entire chapter of I Corinthians 12 teaches us that we must work together with sensitivity, availability, and a genuine interest in each other. With sadness, I remember a daughter who told her grieving, lonely father, “You just need to get over it.” I’m sure that she thought that her counsel was for the best, but it did not help. Let us rather function as a body: when one part is suffering, it should affect all of us. Lord, help us to help.