Lonely Seasons

There is a kind of peace that doesn’t make sense.

Not the kind that comes when everything is going right…
but the kind that shows up when everything has fallen apart.

In this episode of Scattered Moments, Matt Tullos reflects on the lonely seasons of life—those quiet places where loss, silence, and uncertainty seem to gather.

And yet… somehow…
Jesus is there.

Through Scripture, ancient voices, and a deeply personal reflection written in a season of hardship, this episode explores a surprising truth:

Sometimes, when everything else is stripped away…
what remains is not emptiness—
but Christ, closer than ever.

If you’re walking through a difficult season, this one is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Scattered Moments. Brief reflections for the journey. There are seasons in life that don't announce themselves. They don't send a warning. They don't knock politely. They just arrive. A quiet house, a conversation that didn't go the way that you thought it would. A friendship that fades, a door that closes, and suddenly you find yourself in a place you didn't choose. A lonely season. Not just being alone, but feeling left. And if you're not careful, you start to wonder where is God in this? Come, ye disconsolate. Where'er ye languish, come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here, bring your wounded hearts. Here, tell your anguish. Hymn writer Thomas More. There's an old saying from the Desert Fathers Sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything. There's something we don't say out loud very often. We want God to meet us in strength, but He so often meets us in weakness. Paul said it plainly. Not because weakness is good, but because it clears the room. It removes the noise, the distractions, the illusion of control. And what's left? Just you and him. And that can feel terrifying until it becomes peaceful. Because you begin to realize you never were meant to carry all those voices alone. The writer of Hebrews tells us, let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, not because we have it all together, but because he understands. So if you're in a lonely season right now, don't rush out of it too quickly. There is a mysterious peace when you have been left with only Jesus. When there is desolation and pain, when the burden is greater than you thought you could bear. When the darkness gathers around you, even after goodbyes are said, He is the faithful one who is ever beside you when all others forsake you. He is above every present sorrow and every personal struggle. He too has walked the paths of brokenness. He too has stood beside graves. He too was betrayed and conspired against. You share commonality and kinship with the author of the universe. He placed his mark on you. He claimed you as his own. He looked through the crowd. He is enough to fill your empty cup and to calm the storms within. He can be heard if you allow him into your silence. He can be seen at the sunset of each dying day. Closer he will be to you, pulling you closer into his grace. With every struggling moment, he will be more than what you imagined he could be. And you would have never known the depth of his love so deeply if you had never suffered so greatly. I know that's not what we want to hear, is it? But don't waste it. Because there are things God will say to you here that He will not say over the noise of a crowded life. There are depths of His presence you will only discover when it's just the two of you. Lord, for every soul walking through a lonely season, meet them there. Let them feel the weight of your presence more than the weight of their pain. Remind them that you too have walked in darkness and that your silence is not absence. It is invitation.

unknown 5:02

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Thank you for joining me for scattered moments. Brief reflections for the journey. Take care. Notice the scattered moments and share the grace.