The Sounds Of Silence

I was just reading this past Monday of the increasing conflict between Israel and Iran, as Israeli defense forces had struck certain key Iranian targets with rockets. Shortly thereafter, the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the following statement to the press, “Our armed forces are prepared for a war that will bring the crushing destruction of Israel. We are ready for the day when we will see the end of Israel.”

There is no doubt that we are living in the end of times and there is no doubt that we are living in both the most exciting of times in the world’s history, but also in the most perilous of times within the world’s history.

I say this in relationship to and based upon the Bible and what we, as Christians know and hold to be true.

We know that the Bible tells of the increasing of conflict, especially when it comes to the nation of Israel.

And we know that aggression and conflict will increase, because Jesus, Himself, when speaking to His disciples about the end times in , said, “because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold”.

We are there and conflict and hate and aggression are escalating and yes, “the love of MANY, MANY, has grown cold!”

And when you talk about and listen to others speaking of this escalation of violence and aggression and hate and the like, it produces uneasiness and concern in the hearts of many people.

And there are Christians who look at all of this conflict taking place around the world, as well as the negativity and protest against the truth of gospel message in this country and they are asking themselves and wondering in their hearts, “Will I, or my family have to suffer for the sake of Christ?”

Remember what Jesus said to His disciples on the night of His arrest in ,

John 15:18–21 NLT

18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.

Jesus let us know that in His name and for the sake of His name and the sharing of His gospel message, there will be persecution and increased violence and bitterness from the world against His true followers, because the god of this world is waging war against us and our faith in Jesus!

And this would come from the god of this world and this present age who wages war against the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit!

Right after Jesus said that there would persecution for the sake of His name, He then turned around and said this in to give comfort, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I think of all of the comforting things that Jesus could have said as well as all of the things that He actually did say to us within His Word and this one statement brings me some of the greatest assurance and comfort and peace of mind, “Take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Those two words, “take heart”, in the Greek actually and literally mean, “to have confidence and firmness of purpose in the face of danger or testing—‘to be courageous, to have courage, to be bold.”

BE BOLD, BE COURAGEOUS, in the face of danger or testing, because Jesus has overcome the world; the god of this world, our enemy, the devil!

And when we hear these words as we are assembled together like we are right now, these words build up courage within our hearts and strengthen us in unity.

This is the main reason for Jesus establishing His body, the ekklesia, instead of having us go at it solo in our work of spreading the Gospel Message! Because together in unity, there is strength and encouragement for facing whatever comes our way!

This goes back to the message that I gave the Sunday before last, entitled, “It Is Not Good That Man Should Be Alone”, where I spoke of the will of God and His design for us to have one another, in conjunction with His presence in our lives.

We were created and designed for unity and communion and fellowship with one another.

Without going into all of the details again, as I have before, there are huge benefits to our having social interaction and fellowship with one another. And by benefits, I mean across the board: anatomically, physiologically and psychologically!

Social interaction and social acceptance is vital for development in a child and it is vital for sustaining mental and emotional health as an adult!

And throughout the ages and across time and geography, this fact has never changed. People need companionship within their lives to combat loneliness!

And in starting off tonight by mentioning about the escalating tension and events taking place in Israel and in the middle east and tying that in with what Jesus said about the love of many growing cold and of how things in this world would continually worsen before His return, it all adds up for many people to being a source of uneasiness and concern and fear in their hearts.

And when you pair that up with those who are alone, or who feel alone in this world, it paints a picture of complete hopelessness and despondency!

To the world around us as we know it, loneliness and despondency is a very real concern and a problem within the United States, according to recent studies and surveys.

A recent survey of 20,000 U.S. adults, as conducted by the insurance company, Cigna, found that nearly half of people suffer from feelings of loneliness.

Cigna Corporation president and chief executive officer, David Cordani said this after the survey was completed, “ “We’re seeing a lack of human connection, which ultimately leads to a lack of vitality, or a disconnect between mind and body.”

Within the survey, Cigna found that only around half of Americans (53%) say they have meaningful, daily face-to-face social interactions.

Which ultimately points to the fact that nearly half of Americans (47%) feel lonely and isolated.

Members of Generation Z (adults aged 18-22 for the purposes of this study) say they are the loneliest generation and claim to be in worse health than older generations.

Another study found that people of 60 years of age and older, who said they felt lonely, were 45% more at risk of dying earlier than those who did not feel lonely, and were also more prone to mental and physical decline.

Social media use alone is not a predictor of loneliness, as heavy users have a loneliness score that is only slightly higher than people who say they never use social media. (In other words, just because you or I may have 50,000 Facebook friends and another 20,000 Twitter and Instagram followers, these false interactions with people do not even remotely prevent us from sharing the same feelings of loneliness and isolation that non-social media users have!)

In fact, get this, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, people who spent the most time on social media had twice the odds of having greater perceived social isolation, according to a 2017 study.

Listen closely to this, over-dependence on social networks as a social outlet can also lead to what some doctors are calling “Facebook Depression”. (They have a name for this now!)

A study in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking suggested young people who are heavy users of social media—spending more than two hours a day—are more likely to report poor mental health and psychological distress, symptoms of which include anxiety and depression.

And what is the side effect of this change?

Watch this, the U.S. population only increased by 21% from 1997 to 2016, yet in that same period, the total number of prescriptions being filled for physical and emotional problems for adults and children in the U.S., increased by a whopping, 85%!

What does this study mean, what is it showing? It’s saying the exact same thing that other studies like it are saying, people are LONELY!

And not just Americans, because in another recent UK report that I read, 61% of young people said they regularly felt stressed, 53% said they regularly felt anxious and 27% said they felt hopeless on a regular basis. Almost half said they had experienced a mental health problem.

Loneliness and the anticipation of being alone is a very real issue these days.

Psychology Today said this of Loneliness: Actually, feeling lonely has little to do with how many friends you have. It's the way you feel inside. Some people who feel lonely may rarely interact with people and others are surrounded by people, but don't feel connected.

In general, those who feel lonely actually spend no more time alone than those who feel more connected.

In other words, the state of being lonely and the perception of loneliness, is a state of mind to people, in many cases.

You can be around people all day long and interact with them all day long and then go home and still feel completely isolated and alone, because in your mind, you are alone and devoid of true companionship and love!

Despondency and isolation of the human soul is the loneliest state to find oneself in!

And many times over, when someone is alone inside and hurting, they are most likely the ones who lash out so quickly at everyone and say and do hurtful things.

It is like the old adage, “Hurt people, hurt people!”

The feeling of loneliness is a condition that prompts us to seek social connections and interactions for emotional and spiritual nourishment, much in the same way as the feeling of hunger is the bodies way of prompting us to seek food for physical nourishment!

As one person phrased it, “Hunger can be fed by a bag of beans and rice, loneliness is a more discriminating diner.”

In other words, any caloric intake, can satisfy your body’s physiological hunger, but much more is required for someone to feel satiated in the hunger of loneliness of the soul.

Many people struggle with social skills and interactions with others and because of this, they are often ostracized and ridiculed and judged by others!

These people need for someone to come alongside of them and give them the gift of life and love, as can only come through Christ!

says,

Psalm 102:6–7 NLT

6 I am like an owl in the desert, like a little owl in a far-off wilderness. 7 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.

This loneliness that many people feel, can only be healed by and through one source.

In , we see this source being administered. This is the account of the lame man lying at the pool of Bethesda.

The Bible tells us that this man had been lame for 38 years and day after day, people passed him and gave no concern for him. HE WAS ALONE!

When Jesus approached him, he offered the lame man physical healing and also, spiritual and emotional healing, such as the man had never known!

To a hurting and lost and lonely world, there is but one cure for the deprivation and loneliness of the soul and that cure is Jesus the Christ!

When you and I share a kind word to someone, even when they are hateful, spiteful and downright ugly to us, we are giving them a dose of Jesus!

A pat on the back, a hug, a handshake, a kind word to someone who is lonely, is like a drink of cool water to a person who has just crossed the Sahara Dessert!

God the Father has said that He would never leave us and never forsake us!

To those who call Jesus Lord and Savior, there is the assurance and hope of His Spirit abiding with them continually and there soul and spirit are joined in union with His Spirit!

But does this mean that there will never be times of feeling alone and isolated from the Father for the believer?

Let me ask you a question, large and in part, what do we think of when we read the Psalms? This vast collection of poetic songs that were written thousands of years ago and that we read and sing today before the Lord. What would most of you say that you think of when speaking of the Psalms?

I think most people think about Psalms like that of .

Or maybe like ,

Psalm 9:1 NLT

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

,

Psalm 27:1 NLT

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

,

Psalm 29:11 NLT

11 The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

And yes, there are the Psalms of people crying out to God in anguish and fear and hurting and seeking His presence and His comfort and protection, right?

Many times, David, the man after God’s own heart, is seen crying out to God within the Psalms.

David cries out,

Psalm 17:6–9 NLT

6 I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. 7 Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies. 8 Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 9 Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me.

Even in his desperate seeking of God’s divine protection and provision while under attack, David said that he knew that God would hear and answer him!

In one of the darkest periods of David’s life and in one of the darkest of David’s Psalms, , even then we see the hope and assurance of God, by David.

Psalm 13 NLT

For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Did you notice how David ended this lament of his with the assurance and the optimism that God would be rescuing him?

What about the beginning of this Psalm, when David is questioning God and His presence in the midst of David’s struggle? Four times in this short Psalm David questions God with “How long.....?”

Have any of you ever questioned God as to His whereabouts in your life in the midst of a struggle?

And yet he finds the peace and assurance in his prayer to finish it out with praise and thanks to God.

But what about when it seems that God is NOT listening and that you feel like you’re alone in your situation?

Has that ever happened to any of you?

Do we find a place in the Bible and more specifically in the Psalms, of where the writer never sees reprieve and feels the comfort of God?

Is there a Psalm where, from start to finish, the writer is questioning God and telling God that everything is a disaster in his life and with no answer and no reprieve?

The answer to this is “YES” and this particular Psalm is the darkest and loneliest dialogue within the Psalms and pretty much within the Bible.

This Psalm that I am getting ready to read with you right now and that I am going to go more into on Sunday is .

I think that every Christian should take a long look at this Psalm and then, as we look at the outcome on Sunday, hopefully find some solace and understanding that “you are not alone”, when it seems that God has abandoned you in your situation!