Beyond the Walls of Loneliness
By-Crickettt
Psalm 25:16-Turn to me and have pity on me. I am lonely and oppressed.
Psalm 68:6- God places lonely people in families. He leads prisoners out of prison into productive lives, but rebellious people must live in an unproductive land.
Psalm 73:23- Yet, I am always with you. You hold on to my right hand.
Matthew 28:20-Jesus said..."And remembers that I am always with you until the end of time."
Psalm 119:50-This is my comfort in my misery: Your promise gave me a new life.
Matthew 11:28-Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
Loneliness is an emotion and feeling that creeps upon us far too often. It can cause us to feel withdrawn and separated from the rest of the world. Loneliness leaves us in despair while we seek for answers and comfort. In the middle of our searching, we are given God's promises of comfort and rest in Christ Jesus. There are times when it seems as if all the walls around us are caving in and crushing the very life out of us. Jesus said He is with us in all of these dark times. There is so much "emptiness" found in loneliness. It distracts us from God and causes us to focus on the negative outlooks on life rather than the positive. I have often asked God why do I experience joy one minute and loneliness the next. It is like going from one extreme to the next in such a short period of time and sometimes, "keeps you in the dumps" for days on end. We can allow loneliness to become a weapon against us or we can learn how to deal with it and be refreshed once it is gone. I do realize that it is easier said than done but, this is where God comes into the picture. God knows our weaknesses; He said in the Bible that when we are weak, He would be strength for us. He knows we will experience difficult times in our lives and if we remain in Him, we can overcome anything. It may take more time than we anticipated to get through it but, in the end, we will be able to move forward. I also realize that some mild loneliness can be eased just by getting out or actually being around others that make us laugh and forget about our problems.
Facing periods of deep loneliness without knowing God's Word can be very devastating. Putting aside your faith and beliefs in God gives Satan a foothold and allows him to have a field day with your life. I know this to be true because, often I have experienced periods of loneliness that I couldn't quite figure out. It would be frustrating for me and very difficult at times. I knew that if I didn't get a grip on my emotions and pay attention to what was really going on and why I felt that way, before I knew it, I would easily sink into despair and start losing my sense of direction from God. It is so easy to become distracted when we are lonely. We are always trying to find ways to escape the situations and the feelings that come with it. Most of the time, we try to cover up our feelings by using material possessions or by denying it even exists. Material things are only temporary however, and the newness begins to wear off rather quickly. Other times, we tend to allow pride to put up a wall between us and our emotions. This wall we create becomes a barrier between us and others as well. By not getting the right help and dealing with the loneliness or even early signs of depression, the problems only escalate and become much worse. Loneliness is linked to severe depression and suicides. It occurs from different experiences we are facing and battling with on the inside. It can be caused by the loss of a loved one, past mistakes and failures, any type of abuse, and unexplained or sudden emptiness and frustrations. No matter what contributes to the cause, loneliness changes the way we think, feel, and act. It interferes with the way we treat those around us. When we are lonely and upset, the last thing we want to do is deal with a "jolly person". We let our emotions pull down those we come in contact with because we are not experiencing joy at that moment in time. So, we get moody or even angry, wanting everyone to leave us alone so we can just get through the day. Does this sound familiar?
Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in time however, it is what we do with the loneliness and to what extent we allow it to take us that makes the difference. There are many passages in the Bible where God repeatedly said for us to be strong, be courageous, do not worry and never give up. It must be important to God for Him to repeat those passages over and over. It's like, "Hello.... Are you hearing what I am trying to tell you?" God spends a lot of time trying to save us from ourselves. I find that ironic because, we are actually our worst enemy! We can choose to "feed" the loneliness by continually sinking in it or we can turn it into a positive outcome by allowing it to make us into a stronger person and rise above it. God wants us to rise above and find the hope He has given us already and hang on to our faith in Him. It is only through God that we are able to do anything!
I am so glad that even in those times; God still loves us and is right there with us. He may allow us to suffer for a short time in order to be strengthened, but God will never leave us empty handed. The Bible says, sorrow will last for the evening but, joy comes in the morning. He loves and understands us better than we love and understand ourselves and He knows what we are going through.
When Jesus walked on the earth, He experienced loneliness and isolation from others like we do but, in a much greater way. When He was crucified, the Bible says, He cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." God had to turn his face away from His only Son because; Jesus became sin for you and me. God could not look upon His sin at that moment. Jesus suddenly became completely separated from His Father during the darkest moment of His young life. He could not hear His Father's voice and feel His presence as before. He was totally alone. However, what Jesus accomplished on that cross paved the way for you and me to be seen differently by God. God looks at us, His greatest creation, as sinless creatures. Our sins are wiped away when we receive Christ Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior. When we become saved and repent, our sins are thrown away into the sea of forgetfulness. They are remembered no more! We are the ones who keep bringing up the past and dwelling on things that happened a long time ago. And God is there saying, "I don't know what you are talking about, I do not remember that sin". If God has let it go, then it is time for us to do the same. Dwelling on the past and on regretful mistakes only adds to or creates the loneliness. It's like stoking a fire, little by little the flame rises until it is fully heated. We tend to drift off without even realizing that we are hurting ourselves by constantly beating ourselves over the head for what we did or did not do. We can't go back and change the past but, we can move forward and change our future. We can make better today what we missed out on yesterday.
God's love for us is unconditional and there are no strings attached. It never changes.
Matthew 8:19, 20 says, "A scribe came up to Jesus and said to Him, Master, I will accompany you wherever you go. And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.
Jesus traveled on a regular basis with only one thing in mind, reaching out to the lost. He spent a lot of time alone without a true friend or companion. He taught His disciples the importance of continuing preaching the Gospel even when they were rejected by others. Rejection is a triggering mechanism that causes loneliness. It affects the way a person feels about himself and others. Jesus experienced rejection more than any man and He overcame loneliness by constant prayer and meditation with His Father in Heaven. Jesus knew He was not alone because, God, His Father was always with Him. Jesus kept moving forward. He never gave up even when His own people shunned Him. He was tempted by the devil many times as we are, and He overcame him with the Word of God.
Jesus repeatedly said in the Bible that He is always with us no matter what and holds our right hand. Beyond the walls of loneliness there is hope for the hopeless. Jesus gives us peace which surpasses all understanding just when we need it the most. The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understandings, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." When we come to a place in our loneliness where we recognize that God is still with us and working in our lives, the loneliness and despair becomes more bearable. Tests and Trials do make us a better person and even stronger than we possibly imagined to be. We are made spiritually stronger and able to learn how to rely fully on God. He wants to fulfill his perfect plan in us but, we have to be willing to face the lonely times and the emptiness that may get in our way. No matter what you are facing or going through, God cares. The devil wants to use it as a weapon to attack us and watch us fall apart so we will blame God for all of our misfortunes. In the middle of it all, it is difficult for us to understand and be able to see a solution ahead. God is the solution! He walks this journey with us and encourages us to keep moving on. The Bible tells us in John 3:27 that a man can receive nothing, except it be given to him from Heaven. When we ask God for help and strength, He is faithful. Joel 2:32 says, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered". When you call upon God, He is there listening and speaking to your heart in a still and quiet voice. Jesus is our hope beyond the walls of loneliness. Psalm 147:3-He heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds. You can go from day to day trying to solve life's problems on your but; you will never solve anything until you give it over to God.
Don't let loneliness of feelings of despair and rejection become a thorn in your side and pull you under. Stop and visualize Jesus holding your hand to comfort you. Open your heart to Him and share what's on your mind. Many times, I have noticed that when I share with God how I feel, I walk away with more peace and understanding about why I feel the way I do. It also opens up a communication gap between me and God because He sees my heart. God tears down the barriers we created. Those are the barriers that made us afraid of being hurt and rejected. He purposefully planned and designed us to be unique individuals. No one else can do what he created us to do. We are important! The key is allowing God to guide you all the way and be willing. We are His treasure and He adores us. He has even numbered the hairs on our head and collected all our tears in a bottle. With God, we do not have to be afraid. The Bible says, "If God is for us, then who can be against us". When I am going through one of my "Pity parties", God knows about it and allows me to express my feelings in order to release them. He knows how I react to different situations. That is why Jesus told us to stay in the Word because; we will not act the way God intended if we are off somewhere in left field away from God's Truth. God's Word helps us to look at everything differently. It gives us a better perspective of life. Nothing seems the same. When we go to God, we are actually giving Him permission to work in our lives. By speaking God's Word over our situations, we are destroying the devil's work and Satan has to leave. But you can bet your "Bippy" he will return again to see what he can do next so, you must stay on your guard. The Bible says to always guard your heart because where your heart is; there your treasure is also. God is our treasure...he lives in our heart. We don't have to put up with all the junk that is dished out upon us by the devil. Remember, the devil works through people that are willing to let him use them. That is why, even those we love, hurt us sometimes; the devil has caught them off guard and uses them.
In all your times of loneliness and to whatever extent it may go, Please Remember....God is only a whisper away and He wants to fill that void in your life with His peace and His love. Life may not always be perfect, But life can be better and less lonely!
He Heard My Cry
By-Crickettt
I cried out to the Lord and He heard my cry.
He lifted me up from the darkness around me.
He led me out of my deepest sorrows.
I have found a true friend in Him.
I will not fear, because He heard my cry.
©Copyright 2019-Crickettt’s Sanctuary/Author- “Crickettt”. All Rights Reserved.
All written materials in personal blogs, websites or network pages cannot be used, reproduced, copied to a CD, sold and distributed or altered in any way without permission from the owner. Thanks for your cooperation and God Bless
