Dear downhearted,
Did you know that in the beginning of the Bible, after God created light and darkness, sun and moon, water, sky, land, plants, animals, and the first human being, there was still something about His creation that was not good? Genesis 2:18 begins by saying, “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’” Think about that for a moment. At that point in the story, one man existed and that man knew God. Yet it was not good for that man to be alone.
God’s design for humans is that we live in relationship not only with Him but with other human beings. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic and the concomitant stay-at-home orders have made this much more difficult. If you feel lonely then and you don’t like that feeling, it’s not necessarily because there is anything wrong with you. You simply weren’t made to live in these conditions.
Nonetheless, here we are. That’s the sad truth. But it’s not the whole truth. In Isaiah 43:2, God says to His people:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.”
Humans were not created to pass through stormy waters and flames anymore than they were created to be alone, and yet even as we now go through such things, God says: “I will be with you.” And indeed, in Christ Jesus He is with us. One of Jesus’ names is Immanuel, God with us (Matt 1:23), and on the cross, He was truly with us in our loneliness. Not only did His friends and family leave Him all alone, but He even cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)
Because He did this, you need not ever ultimately be alone. Repent and believe in Him, and He will be with you always. Not only that, if you are a Christian, you are also part of a new human family called the church, which, though presently scattered, remains and will prevail against all the forces arrayed against it (Matt 16:19). Do you know you still have a church family like that right now if you are a member at Citylight? And if you aren’t a member, why not join us?
God will sustain you through this season of loneliness. It almost definitely will get better when we can actually be around each other again. It will certainly get better when Jesus comes again. In that day He will not come alone but “with all his saints” (1 Thess 3:13), and we (not you or I alone) will always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:17).
May he bless you and keep you,
Mike