The Lonely Hearts Club by Joe Stowell

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 Three men were stranded on a desert island. A genie appeared and promised to grant each of them just one wish. So the first guy says, “I want to go back to my job with the brokerage firm.” Shazam, he’s back in the office behind his desk. The second guy says, “I’d like to be back in Chicago with my family.” Instantly, he’s zapped back to the Midwest. So the genie turns to the last guy and says, “What’ll it be for you?” He looks around and says, “It’s so lonely here. I wish my friends were back.” Actually, the pain of loneliness is no laughing matter. And, sad to say, there is no magic-genie cure for the loneliness so many of us struggle with. After God created Adam, He said that it is not good for man to be alone and created Eve for companionship and mutual encouragement. So, it’s no wonder that we hurt when we are disconnected from others who could be a source of satisfaction and joy. Yet, in one sense, even the loneliest among us is not truly alone. In fact, Jesus not only assures us of His presence but can empathize with the agony of our loneliness. He was brutally cast off by His own people, the object of criticism and scorn, abandoned by His best friends in His hour of need, and betrayed by a trusted colleague. Still, in the midst of this loneliness He was not truly alone. John 8:29 records Christ’s strong confidence in the midst of His standing alone when He says, “The one who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone.” And even though He realized His teaching was rejected by men, He said, “If I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent Me” (John 8:16). The only true loneliness is the aloneness of being disconnected from God. When we live disconnected from Him, we scramble to fill the void with food, sex, alcohol, shopping, drugs, or meaningless activity. Many of us will do anything to medicate the emptiness we feel without God. In its advanced stages, this aloneness from God fogs our outlook with a cloud of cynicism until our only response to life is “Who cares?” or “Whatever.” The only real way out is to cling to Jesus, the one who will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and the one who promises to give you life, in fact life more abundantly (John 10:10). Maybe you know this, but you’ve been afraid to put all your eggs in the basket of all Jesus has to offer. Maybe your fear is reflected in the words of the poet who wrote, “lest having Him I would have nothing else beside.” But let me assure you that Christ will never let you down. Jesus is certainly no magic genie. He does not exist in a foggy vision only to vanish in a puff of smoke. In fact, it’s just the opposite—we have the assurance that He is constantly with us. Jesus said, in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Because of this promise, you can trust that God will never leave you stranded alone on the desert island of life without Him, but will satisfy you with His presence and peace. YOUR JOURNEY… Are you connected to God through a relationship with Christ, or are you alone in your soul? If you are alone, pray and ask Christ to become your Savior. Find someone who needs to hear that Christ is the cure for his or her aloneness. Use God’s Word to encourage that person today! Aloneness can carve a hollow in your soul that alters your tone and perspective on life. In your journal, write down comforting thoughts that God provides from the following Scripture (Psalm 139:7-10; Isaiah 49:13-16; Romans 8:35-39; Hebrews 13:5). Categories: Attitudes, burdens, Christian life, Encouragement, Fellowship With, Loneliness, Personal Crisis, Relating To God, Relationships Tags: burdens, encouragement, Fellowship with, Loneliness