Feeling lonely? How to overcome the feeling of being alone

It’s easy to be afraid. It seems, sometimes, that it is even easier to feel lonely in such a crazy and unstable world. Perhaps it seems like you are fighting an uphill battle all by yourself, only to find out the hill continues to grow with each step you take. Satan loves nothing better than to get the children of God feeling as if they are alone. We have all, at some moment in our life, felt alone. 

Inflation causes prices to continue rising while your income remains the same. Bills pile up and stress continues to increase. You look around and feel that no one is listening, no one cares, and you are all alone. Congratulations, you are now in Satan’s playground. That is exactly where the enemy wants you to remain.

In Scripture, we see several people who felt alone, and we can learn a lot from them. In the Book of Joshua, we see where Moses has just died, and Joshua is struggling. Although we are not given specifics about what Joshua may be feeling or thinking, we know from how God comforts and encourages him that he must have felt lonely.

“No one can withstand you while you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses; I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

God gives Joshua a powerful insight. Joshua has just lost Moses and perhaps he feels inadequate to finish what Moses had started. However, God tells Joshua the Lord will be with him just like He was with Moses. He reminds Joshua the strength and power Moses walked in and led the Israelites with was not of His own strength, but that of the Lord. He reminds Joshua that God walked with Moses, and He will walk with Joshua.

Joshua is given a promise that He will never be alone, despite what he was feeling. Joshua’s promise is our promise. It is your promise. Just as God walked with Joshua and never left Joshua and Moses alone, that same God will never leave you alone.

Think about when you feel the most alone. Is there a person who makes you feel lonely? Is there a certain situation or time of the week or year that makes you feel lonely? When you identify those things or situations then you can see where the devil is most active and effective in making you feel lonely. Never forget in addition to the Lord, you are accompanied by your guardian angel and the saints wherever you go. You are never alone. Loneliness isn’t a sin but refusing to rely on God is a sin.

The Lord reminds Joshua that he is to have courage because the God of the universe will be with him every single moment of his life. He will never be alone. You will never be alone. The God of the universe, the God who rescued the Israelites from slavery, the God who spoke creation into existence, the God who parted the Red Sea, tore down the walls of Jericho, and closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel in the lions’ den is the same God who walks with you and desires to have an intimate relationship with you.

One of the best ways we can combat loneliness is to surround ourselves with fellow Christians who love the Lord, encourage us, and lift us up. The fellowship between true believers in Christ is something that will always point us back to the Lord, remind us who we belong to, and encourage us to see beyond that our physical eyes can behold. Additionally, we can always look for ways to serve others. When we identify the needs of others and then reach out to meet that need, we battle against the feelings of loneliness that Satan desperately wants us to remain in each day. If we are spending time focusing on the needs of others, we then begin to see God work in the lives of others around us. When we see God work around us, we suddenly realize God is working through us and in us.

 You may be fearful. You may be uncertain. You may be anxious. But, you are never alone. Call upon the Lord today, tomorrow, every day in your times of feeling lonely. He will answer.