LISTEN ONLINEExcept for my cat, I live alone. For me, as for many others, life is busy; sometimes a bit too much, yet I often find myself fulfilled with little time to brood. Mostly I’m fine with my pace of life and its many online meetings, but when I finally stop, I can ache for another person to share life with or to hug. And it’s not just me. A recent survey reported that 26 percent of adults in the UK feel lonely all or some of the time. Loneliness is a modern epidemic.
God sees our need for connection, belonging and relationship. As we see expressed in the Psalms, He is an awesome and almighty God. When He “marched through the wilderness, the earth shook” (Psalm 68:7–8). He who “rides on the clouds” deserves our highest praise (v. 4). Yet He shows His greatness, unlike earthly rulers, primarily in how He relates to the least and lowest of His people. He is a “father to the fatherless, a defender of widows (v. 5); He “sets the lonely in families” ( v. 6).
Whether old or young, imprisoned physically or emotionally, we who feel lonely for any reason can trust that God cares passionately about our situation. In the deserts of our loneliness, He promises abundant showers of blessing to refresh the parched land of our lives (v. 9).