Finding God in Loneliness

Loneliness is one of the most painful human experiences — an ache that can persist even in a crowd. Whatever its cause, God meets us in our loneliness with a profound comfort: we are never truly alone. Here's how to find God in loneliness.

God will never leave you

The deepest comfort for loneliness is God's unfailing presence: 'he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' However alone you feel, God is with you — a presence that never withdraws, in the empty house and the sleepless night.

A friend who understands

Jesus himself knew loneliness — abandoned by friends, misunderstood, alone in his darkest hour. So he understands ours. In loneliness, we have a companion who has felt what we feel, and who draws especially near to the isolated and hurting.

God sets the lonely in families

God's care for the lonely often works through his people. 'God setteth the solitary in families.' Loneliness can be an invitation to reach out — to Christian community, to others who are also lonely — trusting that God often meets our need for belonging through his people.

Finding God in loneliness means resting in his promise never to leave you, drawing near to a Saviour who understands loneliness himself, and being open to the community through which he often meets our need for belonging. Loneliness is a real and painful ache — but you are not truly alone. God is with you, he understands, and he delights to set the solitary in his family.