Loneliness 03 – The Lord Stands with Us

Ben E. King expressed the hopes of all lonely hearts as he sang: “When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we’ll see. No I won’t be afraid, oh I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me.”

When no friend stood as an advocate for the apostle Paul, when he felt abandoned and all alone, he tells us: “But the Lord stood at my side” (2 Timothy 4:17).

When we are with others, we lean on them. But then a friend lets us down. An illness removes us from the group. A supporter walks away. In our aloneness, as we seek the Lord in our hurt and heartache, the Lord becomes most real to us.

In those intense, desperate, lonely situations, the person of Jesus Christ comes alongside us as an understanding “friend who sticks closer than a brother” and he stands with us (Proverbs 18:24).

Furthermore, Paul added, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:17).

God poured strength into him and infused him with power. Spending time with God in his Word and in prayer, the Lord gives us strength to put one foot in front of another, enabling us to do what he wants us to do.

“On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me” (Psalm 138:3, CSB).

For what purpose? Paul answered: “So that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17).

Sometimes we can become so preoccupied with our loneliness that we fall into a downward spiral.

One cure for loneliness is to make other people our focus. Not only do we lift our eyes off ourselves and onto God, we lift our eyes to see the needs of others around us and fulfill the mission God has for us.

God promises that “he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). The Lord will stand with you. He will strengthen you. He will use you to help others in their need.

Action Step: Spend some time thinking how God comes alongside you.

~ Pastor Dave