Lonely No More (11/29-12-3)
16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
2 Timothy 4:16-17 ESV
Statistically, people tend to feel lonely in the holidays.
The age group most likely to say they feel embarrassed to admit that they’re lonely at Christmas is 18 to 24 year olds (45%) with people aged 65 and over actually least likely to say they felt embarrassed (29%).
The holidays can be a great time to spend with friends and loved ones, but what happens if we feel lonely throughout? Or if we’re too embarrassed to admit we’re lonely, especially in the church?
It can be a slippery slope, Paul talks about being deserted by everyone. And he doesn’t even keep a grudge, he says:
May it not be charged against them! BUT!
Thank God for the “buts.“
the Lord stood by me and strengthened me
What are we lacking when we feel deserted? Many things but Paul says the Lord did two things:
Companionship
Strength
It’s tough to keep going when you’re going alone. If you’ve ever gone to the gym alone, you’ll notice it’s not as easy to stay motivated.
Notice how he didn’t lean into God. God came near to him.
Notice how he didn’t strengthen himself. God did it for him.
Loneliness is an opportunity to see God move for you.
The holidays will distract us, lots of red, green, music, gift giving, trees, lights. It’s all fun and distracting, but it can keep us from focusing on being well internally.
Are you lonely?
Do you feel lonely in church?
How can we help your loneliness?
Let’s pray so God can also help your loneliness.