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.)
The Apostle Paul was a mercurial missionary, full of vigor, vim, and vinegar. However, at the end of his life, he spoke of his left-lonesome condition. Writing to his friend and fellow-worker Timothy, he lamented, “Only Luke is with me” (II Timothy 4:11). Imprisoned in Rome and knowing that he would soon be martyred for his faith, Paul needed human companionship. Three thoughts come rapidly to mind. First, if Paul, a truly spiritual man, was this lonely, certainly we know that God’s people are not exempt from this hardship. Second, we can admire Luke, who stayed near when others would not; may we be a Luke to someone else – and may we be grateful for any Lukes in our lives. Third, it is good to have someone like Timothy to whom we can turn. Paul was certain that his friend would soon travel to be with him, even bringing reading material and a warm cloak that could double as a blanket (verse 13). Let us be as reliable as Timothy, and let us be appreciative of each one that we can call upon in our times of darkness.