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.)
One of the loneliest people in the Christmas history (at least for a while) was Joseph. Matthew 1:18-25 records his wrestling with the fact of Mary’s pregnancy. To him, logically and reasonably, it seemed that this woman to whom he was engaged had betrayed him. Perhaps there is no lonelier feeling than that of betrayal. Even then, though, Joseph’s thoughts were tempered by mercy, for he had decided upon a gentle alternative to the Old Testament Law’s death sentence. As he devoutly considered this gut-wrenching situation, he had his answer from God. Soon, he had a wife and then a son. His loneliness was remedied by the direct intervention of his God. However, his life was still not an easy one, for after the birth of Jesus, the family had to flee to Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:13-14). They had each other, but they were strangers in a strange and often hostile land. They finally did return home (Matthew 2:19-23). Two applications are foremost in my mind. First, may we never betray others. Second, let us realize that difficulty does not mean that God has distanced Himself from us. Whether we are far from home or flocked round the hearth, He is with us.