Lonely Is The Saddest Word

Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran.

Genesis 28:10

LONELINESS IS NO ONE’S FRIEND but is everyone’s acquaintance. Loneliness eats at your insides and brings a vacuum of emptiness. It creates a gnawing hunger of wanting to belong, to be understood, and to be loved. You can have a million friends and still be lonely. Loneliness is not the absence of people; it is the absence of intimacy. Loneliness doesn’t come from being alone; it comes from feeling alone.

That was how Jacob felt. He was a man on the run. He cheated his brother, Esau, out of his birthright, and Esau threatened to kill him. Jacob left Beersheba with his birthright and the blessing and little else. He was a fugitive, he was alone, and he was depressed. The place where he found himself—a desolate, lonely place—was a picture of his barren heart. It was a place of dashed hopes and dreams.

There are some things you can do when you are feeling alone. Find a friend. Get in a group. Get out of the house. Do something new. Forgive those who have hurt you. Spend time with God. Read a good book. Help someone who is less fortunate than you. And remember, you are never truly alone. The Lord is with you, and He loves you.

BOTTOM LINE

Everyone experiences loneliness from time to time, but no one has to stay lonely. God promises to always be with us (Psalm 34:17-19).

Moment of Strength: Hebrews 13:5