Never Alone: God's Answer to Loneliness

Loneliness is a state of mind that is bolstered in perception, but the way we perceive things does not necessarily align with our realties. So what remedy does God propose to address a widespread human emotion that is both multifaceted and exclusive to each individual? His Word.

Yes, loneliness may feel like a dark gloomy cloud that follows you everywhere, but  King David  states in Psalms 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The Father is always with us and the best part is He will never jump ship or abandon us. In fact, the Lord our God goes before us when we are not sure where we are going. He stands behind us to guard and defend us from unseen attacks. And most importantly, when we confess our sins and surrender to his will, He dwells inside us.

There is evidence littered throughout the scripture that shows us that God cares when we are consumed by feelings of loneliness. So let’s look at the story of Elijah for a moment:

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went on a day's journey into the wilderness.

He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, Lord, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.  Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

1 Kings 19:1-5 NIV 

Now before Elijah ran away and asked God to take his life, he had just demonstrated God’s miraculous sovereignty over all the deities and false idols that had captured the attention of Israel. You see, in the previous chapters Elijah had asked God to stop the rain and dew in the land until he commanded. And after the nation went without water for a few years, the vegetation was ruined and the whole country became devastated and desolate.

Things got so bad that the ruler at that time, King Ahab, went out looking for grass to feed the livestock so that they would not starve. He also instructed one of his servants, Obadiah, to look with him. When Obadiah went out he saw Elijah and bowed before him. The prophet then told him that he would go and see Ahab.

When Elijah met with King Ahab, he told the king to gather all of the Israelites to Mount Carmel including all of the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah. When they congregated, Elijah told them to make a decision to follow the Lord their God or worship the pagan idol Baal.  

When the people did not respond Elijah took twelve stones –which represented each of the tribes of Israel- and rebuilt the Lord’s altar. Elijah then set up the wood and cut a bull into pieces which he placed on the wood. After this, he told the people to pour water on the wood and offering, then asked God to answer him so the people would know that the Lord was the true God of Israel.

God then rained down fire from heaven which consumed the wood and sacrifice. All of the Israelites who witnessed the miraculous event then cried out that the Lord was their God.  As a result, Elijah told them to seize the Baal prophets who were later killed. He then went to the top of Mount Carmel and told his servant to look at the sea. After he had done so seven times, he saw a cloud. Sometime after, the sky turned dark and it began to rain.

So what did Elijah do after God performed such a miraculous act through him? He let Jezebel’s vile death threats intimidate him in a way which triggered him to run for his life. And after he had fled and made his bed under a broom tree, God sent an angel to feed him. When he had slept and eaten and drank two times, he traveled forty days and nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.  There he went into a cave and spent the night (1 Kings 19:7-9).

And the word of the Lord came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah?

He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

1 Kings 19:10

It is important to note that loneliness can strike a person right after they have reached a great milestone or have even accomplished a great feat.  Still, while experiencing these feelings from time to time is inevitable and very much a part of life, we should not allow them to consume us or keep us trapped in a cycle of fear and dread.

In the scripture when God asked Elijah why he had hid himself in the cave, he told Him he was afraid for his life because he was the only one left. In other words, Elijah felt lonely and this sense of solitude was triggered by fear. 

Notice, the first thing God asks Elijah when he speaks is: “What are you doing here?” Obviously a sovereign God who is all-knowing and omnipresent already knew the answer, but he posed the question because it was His way of getting Elijah to evaluate his situation and his heart. Then the Lord said:

 Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?

He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

1 Kings 19:11-15 

When God visited Elijah, He spoke to the prophet in a gentle whisper. Sometimes we are tempted to look for big signs or supernatural happenings to confirm our encounters with the Lord. But while He is capable of doing things beyond human reasoning and defying the laws of science, most times when God speaks to us it is in a still quiet voice. And when he speaks to us, he always puts things back into the right perspective.

In the passage God questions Elijah a second time and the prophet repeats his answer. But this time, the Lord gave him instructions and informed him that he had also reserved 7,000 Israelites who had not bowed down or worshiped Baal. You see, Elijah thought that he was alone. His limited scope of the situation made him believe that he was the only one left. But God saw the bigger picture and He comforted Elijah by letting him know he was not the only one left.

Friends, whenever you are feeling lonely remember that the experience is not a permanent state of being. In fact, just like Elijah, chances are your perception of your situation may not be completely accurate since loneliness has a way of distorting your reality by fogging your minds with feelings of gloom that are triggered by isolation or  solitude.

So instead of making impulsive decisions that may harm you in the long run, take the time out to rest, eat the proper nutrition and find a quiet place where God can meet you and speak to you in His still, quiet voice. And when you dwell in His presence, He will renew your mind and strengthen your body so that you can see and understand the bigger picture. And here’s the catch –God always wins.