The Cure for Loneliness

Everyone has experienced loneliness to some degree sometime in life. ad yet, for many, loneliness is not an occasional problem but a characteristic of their lives.

It begins early. As children, they are shuttled off to daycare centers. They don’t know if they are loved and accepted by their parents. The time that they do spend with their parents reinforces this impression.

As they grow, the need for love and affection doesn’t go away—it grows with them. The longer this need is unmet, the surer it is that they will seek to meet it elsewhere. One of the first places they go is to the opposite sex. This results in the loneliness of an unhappy marriage, or the loneliness of promiscuity.

When people are lonely, it is amazing what kind of company they will seek. For some, their companions are two-dimensional. Many seek a friend in the electric chatterbox or online. Some attempt to smoke their loneliness out by getting high…while others prefer the method of attempting to drown it in alcohol.

None of these options can be successful. This is because, ultimately, loneliness an only be removed by establishing a relationship with God the Father.

What does the Bible say on this subject? When someone becomes a Christian, he or she immediately enters into a relationship with the Father that swallows up loneliness. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15-16).

Even the best human parents cannot meet all our needs. But the Father in heaven can help us build a truly satisfying relationship with him. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He also promised, “‘If a man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this He meant the Spirit, whom whose who believed in Him were later to receive” (John 7:37-39). Jesus promises to give you His Spirit and lead you to His Father.

This is how you can receive this promise:

1) You must turn away from all your sin. You should have no regret about leaving your old life behind.

2) Acknowledge that Jesus Christ died and rose form the grave for you. When Jesus died, your old sinful nature was crucified with Him.

3) Give yourself to Him lock, stock, and barrel. This means giving all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.

4) Thank Him for accepting you into His life.

5) Begin to walk in the light of His lordship. Read your Bible. Pray constantly. Talk to others about your new life. Fellowship with other Christians regularly.

Jim Wilson

If you are a Christian and would like more help with overcoming loneliness, we recommend Elisabeth Elliot’s book The Path ofLoneliness.