Loneliness

The Depths of its Bite.

But that was all a precursor. There was a supreme moment of loneliness, so dark and deep that only Jesus has ever experienced. It was on the cross the moment he became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). In that unfathomably horrible, incomprehensibly lonely moment, he felt forsaken by his Father

2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.”

Do you ever think of Jesus as lonely? Certainly his moments in Gethsemane and on Calvary were uniquely and terribly lonely, but what about the rest of his life?

In some sense, he may have been the loneliest human in history.

Loneliness is what we feel when we’re isolated from others. Loneliness often has less to do with others’ physical absence and more to do with feeling disconnected or alienated from them. Or misunderstood by them. In fact, these are far more painful species than mere absence, because we feel the isolation of being despised and rejected.

Which is precisely how Isaiah prophetically described Jesus: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Given who Jesus was, this experience would have begun decades before his public ministry even began. Which means Jesus is able to sympathize with your loneliness far more than you might have previously thought (Hebrews 4:15).

Isaiah 53:3 “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering, and acquainted with sickness, and like one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised, and we did not hold him in high regard.”

Hebrews 4:15 “15 For we do not have a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who has been tempted in all things in the same way, without sin.”

And imagine what Jesus’s childhood must have been like. Do you remember what it felt like to want friends? Jesus was truly human and would have longed for human friendship too. But lacking the sin nature everyone else had, and having a divine nature no one else had, he would have been a very odd person. Holiness makes sinners want to flee. Jesus would have stuck out morally like a sore thumb, never quite being understood, frequently despised and rejected, even within his own family.

But this is the precursor. There was a supreme moment of loneliness, so dark and deep that only Jesus has ever experienced. It was on the cross the moment he became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). In that unfathomably horrible, incomprehensibly lonely moment, he felt forsaken by his Father (Matthew 27:46) and all those he loved. He was ravaged physically and spiritually “beyond human semblance” (Isaiah 52:14). Having spent his earthly life estranged by his sinlessness, now Jesus was estranged by the sin he willingly bore — our sin.

No one has experienced or understands the depths of loneliness like Jesus.

Matthew 27:46 “46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)”

Isaiah 52:14 “14 Just as many were appalled at you— such was his appearance beyond human disfigurement, and his form beyond the sons of mankind—”

Isaiah 41:10 “10 You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.”

Psalm 27:10 “10 If my father or my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will receive me.”

Matthew 28:20 “20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.””

Deuteronomy 31:6 “6 Be strong and be courageous; you should not be afraid, and you should not be in dread from their presence, for Yahweh your God is the one going with you; he will not leave you alone and he will not forsake you.””

1 Peter 5:7 “7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares for you.”

1 Samuel 12:22 “22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has decided to make you his own people.”

Romans 8:31–38 “31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ is the one who died, and more than that, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or hunger or lack of sufficient clothing or danger or the sword? 36 Just as it is written, “On account of you we are being put to death the whole day long; we are considered as sheep for slaughter.” 37 No, but in all these things we prevail completely through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,”

Psalm 25:16 “16 Turn to me and have mercy on me because I am lonely and afflicted.”

Matthew 28:20 “20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.””

Psalm 68:5–6 “5 A father to orphans and a judge for widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God settles the lonely in a home; he brings prisoners out into prosperity. But the rebellious abide in a barren land.”

Proverbs 18:24 “24 A man of many friends will come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “13 Temptation has not come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will also make a way out together with the temptation, so that you may be able to endure it.”

Loneliness is a common human experience that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or situation. The Bible does not ignore the reality of loneliness, but it also offers hope and comfort for those who feel alone.

God is always with you. No matter how lonely you feel, you can always trust that God is near to you and cares for you. He promises to never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:61). He is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:12). He knows your thoughts and feelings, and He understands your pain (Psalm 139:1-123). He invites you to cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:74).

God has a purpose for your loneliness. Sometimes God may allow you to experience loneliness for a season, in order to draw you closer to Him or to prepare you for His plan for your life. For example, Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before God called him to lead His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1-10). David spent many years hiding from Saul before he became king of Israel (1 Samuel 18-31). Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before He began His public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). In each case, God used their loneliness to teach them, test them, and train them for His purposes. If you are going through a lonely season, ask God what He wants to teach you and how He wants to use you for His glory.

God Blessings upon You.