BIBLE PASSAGE:
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
(Psalms 84:2)
MEDITATION:
People feel all kinds of loneliness in their lives at times. It is
a feeling of aloneness so strong that it seems like there is no
one else around. Many people experience loneliness in society,
which can often be triggered by sorrow, feelings of guilt for
personal failures, judgment (either real or assumed) from
others for things they have done, or suffering of any kind.
The irony is, quite often when we feel lonely, we tend to isolate
ourselves from others, which increases our feelings of loneliness.
When we put ourselves in a silo, we start assuming all kind of
things about others that are often not true.
We start thinking that we are carrying a heavy burden and no
one else really cares. Many times others do care, are praying,
and would like to do even more, but they are unsure of exactly
what to do.
Erroneous thoughts cause frustration, which often leads to anger
over unmet needs from others, or a feeling of helplessness in not
knowing how to rise above the suffering and loneliness. This type
of anger generates even more problems as it shuts out those we
need the most.
It can cause us to be abrupt with others and to develop an attitude
of a kind of superiority as we try to ‘reconnect’ with them. Rather
than patiently listening to those concerned about us, some project
an attitude of knowing more than anyone else. This also pushes
away those who are concerned and want to help.
No one likes to be around someone who claims to have all the
answers and doesn’t want to listen to advice, even if the advice
is painfully honest. This anger and denial of the truth is not
conducive to a pleasant conversation between friends. It causes
others to “shut down” on trying to help and encourage them.
Loneliness can be devastating in the world we live in, but
there are times when everyone experiences a loneliness in
their relationship with God. It may be a result of guiltiness
over our own sins, stubbornness, or attitudes. It could be
because we have refused to do something we feel God wants
us to do.
At any rate, we feel a separation from God and yearn to be
close to Him. It makes us restless, uneasy, and can lead to
depression. Man was made for God and when we can’t sense
His presence, loneliness can invade and dominate our lives.
However if we look at our relationship from His position,
Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart and saying,
“I want to come in. Let me in.”
He doesn’t push His way through our heart’s door and
barge into our lives. We have the responsibility to open
our heart’s door and invite Him in. When we are close
to Him, we should never feel totally alone.
ACTION:
Do you have a yearning to fellowship with the Lord?
If you do not, then you need to decide if He is really
Lord of your life. If you are restless, uneasy, depressed,
or have feelings of loneliness, then why not invite the
Lord into your heart?
Some are guilty of convincing themselves (and others) that
they are Christians, when the truth is, they have never
experienced a life changing encounter with the Lord. They
may have had a brief emotional moment, but when it was over,
they returned to the person they were before that experience.
When we are His, we will have a long lasting devotion to the Lord
and a constantly changing life that strives to get closer to Him.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know me better than I know myself.
You know if I have, or have not, invited You into my life and
had a real life changing experience. You also know if I have
a yearning to grow closer to You. I don’t want to experience
a life of agony and loneliness from not feeling Your presence.
Lord, I invite You into my heart and ask You to fellowship
with me every day.”
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