Psalm 34:18 tells us that “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” In Psalm 25:16-17, the writer gives us a prayer to God in a time of loneliness: “I am lonely and afflicted, relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.”
Having a strong connection with God enables you to cope better with feelings of loneliness by focusing your attention away from yourself and onto God. Building your relationship with God can also help you relate better to other people. It gives you a stronger foundation for loving and being loved.
Psalm 25:14–18
My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” The Good News: While depression can make you feel lonely, God is still there with you. And he's not going anywhere.
'” “God approached Adam in the garden of Eden and said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone' (Genesis 2:18), not because Adam was lonely, but because he was making a statement about himself. He was saying, 'It is not good for man to be alone, because one man cannot glorify me by himself.
Jesus knew what it was to be lonely! But then He said, “Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me” (John 16:32).
"“Loneliness is God's invitation to intimacy with Him.” It is our soul crying out for God. What or whom do I turn to when I'm lonely? God awaits us patiently. He doesn't force Himself upon us.
What causes loneliness? There is not one single cause of loneliness. Loneliness can often be a result of life changes or circumstances that include living alone, changing your living arrangements, having financial problems, or death of a loved one.
The root of loneliness isn't the absence of other people but an inner absence—you don't have a centered awareness of your true self.
Prayer for You're Lonely
You have endured way more loneliness and pain than I ever will. I ask You to comfort me, to keep me through this and to lift my head and heart. Be my soul satisfaction and keep me from filling the ache of loneliness with anything that would take me far from You.
One of the classic examples of loneliness in the Bible was the experience of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19. He had just gained a great victory for God in a fearless struggle over the predominant forces representing Baal worship in the land of Israel.
Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The Good News: Though you may feel defeated, God is closer than you realize. He is always with you and can heal your heart.
When you feel lonely, you get more defensive. You focus more on self-preservation even though this is not done intentionally. Completely unbeknownst to you, your brain is focusing more on self-preservation than the preservation of those around you. This, in turn, can make you less pleasant to be around.
Proverbs 18:1 – A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rages against all wise judgment.
Loneliness is also associated with problematic changes in the cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems. The result is a chronic counterproductive inflammatory state which damages the heart, reduces one's capacity to resist infection and promotes loss of bone and muscle.
Your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode, making it harder to sleep. When you're lonely, research shows that your brain can produce an excess of norepinephrine, a hormone that's a crucial “signal during the fight or flight response.” Loneliness can feel, to our social selves, like dire straits.
Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
There are different types of loneliness: emotional, and social and existential loneliness.
Loneliness affects people in different ways, and for this reason there are four distinct types of loneliness identified by psychologists: emotional, social, situational and chronic.
What is chronic loneliness? Chronic loneliness occurs when feelings of loneliness and uncomfortable social isolation go on for a long period of time. It's characterized by constant and unrelenting feelings of being alone, separated or divided from others, and an inability to connect on a deeper level.
One of these is Matthew 11: 28, where Jesus Christ states that he will “give you rest” if you are “lowly in heart.” You can also see Isaiah 43:2, where even when you “pass through the waters”, you will not be alone. God will not leave you nor forsake you, and cares that you are alone.
But loneliness can sometimes be a good thing to help us understand ourselves and our lives better. We can have a broader perspective about our situations and circumstances by taking a step back for a while.
So the notion that love is a reliable solution to loneliness is a myth because, simply put: Love is a mystery. Closeness, however, is not. We can pick up methods for creating closeness because we know what generates closeness between people, and what doesn't.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."