Transforming Loneliness into a Journey of Faith / S3E19

Ever wonder how it's possible to feel lonely even when you believe you're never truly alone? Join me on a reflective journey as I share personal stories of navigating the isolation that sometimes accompanies faith. Drawing inspiration from biblical figures such as Adam and Jesus, I uncover the profound human need for companionship and explore how our moments of solitude can be transformative rather than debilitating. As we contemplate scriptures like Genesis 2:18 and Psalm 42:1-2, we find insight into how God might use these lonely periods to draw us nearer to Him. Through anecdotes of life transitions, such as moving and feeling distanced from loved ones, this episode offers a heartfelt look at how loneliness can either challenge or enrich our spiritual lives.

Patience and trust in God's timing are powerful tools when facing life's uncertainties, and I emphasize this through the lens of personal growth and faith renewal. Inspired by Phil Driscoll's music, the conversation highlights the strength found in waiting on the Lord, particularly during times of fear and apprehension. With a focus on the initial invincibility that comes with inviting God into our hearts, I offer encouragement to those struggling with apprehension, urging them to cast aside their worries and trust in God's unfolding plan. This episode is a comforting reminder of the unwavering support and presence of God, even in our loneliest moments.

Chapters

• 0:12 Dealing With Loneliness as a Christian
• 13:56 Renewing Faith Through Waiting on God

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Hello, the first thing we want to do today is to thank Ziegler Services for sponsoring this podcast for the month of January. They offer snow removal, landscaping, lawn care, tree service, fencing, firewood and other home maintenance services to Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. Contact them at ZieglerServices at gmailcom. That's Ziegler Z-E-I-G-L-E-R services at gmailcom. Thank you, ziegler Services. Well, we'll talk about something that I've been kind of going through this week. It's been a rough week for me because, as a Christian, since God's always with us, should we be lonely, should we suffer from loneliness? God is always with me and he does such wonderful, wonderful things and I never feel alone because I always know that he is right here. I feel alone because I always know that he is right here, but sometimes I feel lonely because I know that God is with me. But sometimes we need that human contact and it is because, as humans, we are emotional, we have needs, that God can meet each of our needs. But sometimes the way he meets our needs is to send someone there to be with us, and we are meant to be with others. When God created Adam, one of the things that he said was it was not good that man should be alone. That's in Genesis 2.18. God was there with him in the garden, but he still felt like he needed another person, and even Jesus. When he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he took some of the disciples with him. He was lonely, he was sorrowful. Matthew 26, 38 says Then he said to them sorrowful even to death, stay here and watch with me. Even he needed that human comfort that we long for. And I have had so many ups and downs this week. I've had God, show me, send me someplace. And I didn't say a lot to the person. I just saw someone else that looked sad and I asked them how they were doing and they said they'd be fine. And I said I'd pray for them and told them that God loved them. And I got in the car and started praying and in my mind I was saying God, I hope what I said to them helped. But what came out was God, I hope what I said to them helped. But what came out was God, I hope what I said to them healed. And that was so cool, because then my first instinct was to say God, is that what you were doing? Is that what they needed? Is that what they needed? A healing. They needed to know that you love them. I think it's so cool when you do this and I do. I think it's cool when God does those things and he was with me, he was right there with me.

Speaker 1: 3:42

But I got in the car and I went to work and some good things happened for me at work and I was really excited and again I felt like, well, this is God. It was almost like God said well, look, you followed what I asked you to do. You did it, and here's what I'm giving you for doing it. But I was still lonely. God had worked with me, the Holy Spirit had given me the things to say. I knew I wasn't alone, I knew they were with me, but I was still lonely.

Speaker 1: 4:25

And as Christians, when we're lonely, why? Why are we lonely? Well, like I said, it's human nature. We were never meant to be alone. But you know, sometimes we're lonely because God needs to draw us closer to him. Psalm says in 42, 1 and 2 says as the deer pants for the stream of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God, and sometimes that loneliness is just where he needs us to be, for him to do a work in us and I realize that it's still hard to go through that loneliness, and sometimes it's just circumstances of life that make you lonely, and I think that's kind of where I am. I'm kind of in limbo. I'm going to be moving somewhere else into South Carolina, but I'm still here and I don't know how things are going to go. I know God's got it in control, so I'm kind of just waiting on Him, but I'm trying to pack up my house or get things ready to go, but still want to be able to do things I want to do. And my grandkids live with me and they're're busy in their lives, and my son's in South Carolina and he's busy with his life and my daughter's busy with her life and my friends are busy. They have their husbands and their families and their work and I feel lonely. I don't have a person to share with when I did have people to share with, but things have gotten busy in other people's lives. So it's like God's leaving me kind of on my own and sometimes I don't know if I like that or not. But that are the circumstances, not, but that are the circumstances.

Speaker 1: 6:41

In 2 Timothy 4, 16 through 17,. Paul speaks of being deserted by others, but strengthened by God, it says. At my first defense, no one stood with me, but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. And then sometimes the things that we're going through may not be nature, spiritual growth or a life circumstance. One of the things might take the thing that I talk about the most, the armor of God, to get through. Maybe it is a spiritual battle that we're going through.

Speaker 1: 7:17

Sometimes we feel distant from God. Now I don't feel distant from God. I feel like he is so close to me right now. I feel like he's comforting me. I talked about it with my son and he says well, mom, maybe you should look down. Maybe there's only one set of footprints in the sand with you right now. And that's so true. I feel so close to him. I feel like he's walking right with me through all of this.

Speaker 1: 7:44

But there's still this loneliness, this separation I feel from others. And how do we handle that? And how do we handle that? What is the things that can help us get through the loneliness that we feel sometimes, the loneliness that comes on us? One of the things is to really embrace that God is present with you. Hebrews said never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. He'll never leave us or forsake us, and I know that, and that's one of the things that we need to remember. You need to spend time in prayer and worship and inviting God into your heart to give you peace and comfort when you're feeling these things. We also need to seek out other Christians. Sometimes that's possible. Sometimes it's not In the position I'm in right now. I have Christians around me but, as I said, a lot of them have their own lives going on right now and I'm probably just holding a pity party for myself.

Speaker 1: 9:08

Colossians 3, 12-13 says Therefore, as the elect of God, holy, beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. And you know that, as Christians, when we're helping someone else out, we're helping ourselves. Else out, we're helping ourselves. Proverbs 11.25 says the generous soul will be made rich and he that waters will also be watered. And that's true. As you help others, it helps you, it builds your strength, it gives you a blessing as well as giving them a blessing. And then sometimes we just have to trust that there's a process going on here and that God is taking care of things, and we just have to trust his process. But do you know he is a constant presence. Psalms 23.1 says the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And Galatians 6.2 says Bear one another's burdens so fulfill the law of Christ. And in Revelations 21.4, it says and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more pain from the former. Things have passed away.

Speaker 1: 10:31

You know, there's a lot of things that go on in our lives sometimes that we don't understand. We don't understand why we feel the way we feel. I've cried a lot of tears this week because of how I feel, but were the tears bad that I cried or were the tears a washing? I don't know why I feel lonesome. I just know that I have to do what God wants me to do, and I don't know how many of you feel lonesome. Don't ever feel lonesome and not talk to someone about it. I've made it very verbal to people how I feel and why I feel the way I feel, and many of them have said hey, gayla, I'm right here and right now. They're not the answer. My girlfriend I'm very close to, in fact she has my heart. She came down and spent some time with me and talked and I felt better when she left, but yet it still wasn't her. It's me, it's the way I feel me, it's the way I feel, and I have to let God walk me through this time of loneliness to show me what is there that he wants me to see.

Speaker 1: 12:06

In one of my very first podcasts I did did a podcast on how I love the valley, and I do love the valley, the valley. When you're on a mountaintop, look down in the valley. It's the rivers and the grasslands and the trees and the animals, and the tall mountaintops are barren. The tall mountaintops are barren. So when we're in a valley, we may feel like we're at our lowest, but that's when God feeds us, that's when God teaches us, that's when God brings us to His will, and that's what I'm waiting on. I'm waiting on God's will, and that's what I'm waiting on. I'm waiting on God's will. I'm waiting on Him to show me what it is that he has for me to do for Him. Are you waiting on God? Are you lonely? Have you spoke to another Christian? Do you realize that he said he would never leave you or forsake you when we go down these paths that we're not sure of. The only thing we can do is pray and wait on the Lord.

Speaker 1: 13:31

I was listening to a song I don't know how many of you have heard of Phil Driscoll, but it really spoke to me. I just want you to listen to the words of this song. It says I remember you said you'd never leave me and in times of trouble you'd be my friend. Sometimes, when doubt and fear try to steal my faith, well, I'll just run to you. I'll run to you.

Speaker 1: 13:57

I just set aside the cares of this world, fall in love with you again. I just throw away the cares of this world, fall in love with you again. I just throw away the troubles of this world and fall in love with you. And that's what we need to do. We need to set aside the things that we're going through. We need to set aside the cares of the world. We need to close our eyes and wait on him and fall in love all over again.

Speaker 1: 14:23

You know, remember the first time you asked God into your heart.

Speaker 1: 14:29

You remember that feeling that you had. You were just invincible at that point in time because you knew that God was with you and that he would never leave you or forsake you, and he hasn't. He hasn't left or forsaken me, but another song that Phil Driscoll sings, too, is they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their faith. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, and that's what I want to do. I want to wait on the Lord. I want to wait on the Lord and let Him break me and heal me and change me and lift me up. Yeah, I'm lonely. It's only a temporary place in my life, though. God is going to just take over. Teach me something, show me something or lead me to something. Don't know what it is, and I want you all, if you're going through something like this and maybe it's not that you're lonely, maybe you're afraid, maybe you're apprehensive, maybe you're not sure of which way to turn or which way to go just wait on the Lord. Fall in love with Him again.