What to do when you feel alone
Have you ever felt completely alone? Even when you are in a crowd or with people you love? I have. It’s not a fun feeling. The truth is anyone can struggle with feelings of loneliness.
2020 has been a crazy year so far and our lives have changed in so many ways. For most people it seems that the pandemic and having to be quarintined has had a major effect on their lives.
We are not used to being told to stay in our homes for not just days but weeks at a time and for some it has been months.
Feelings of loneliness can be completely overwhelming. But you need to understand that you are never really alone and there are people who are ready and willing to help you!
There are some things you can do to help combat these feelings of loneliness. One thing you can be assured of is that God knows you, He sees you and you are not alone.
Even Jesus felt alone and He understands
Jesus felt alone too. In the garden of Gethsemane when He asked the disciples to pray and they kept falling asleep.
When He was hanging on the cross for our sins.
It’s hard in one way for me to wrap my head around Jesus being human and having the same thoughts and feelings that I have. I can’t imagine him ever feeling alone, but he did.
The other night I was looking for a Facebook group and as I was scrolling I got caught up in the black hole that is Facebook and ended up looking at groups just because I had no idea what in the world they were. Some were funny, some were interesting but one really caught my eye.
It was a group of people who all looked to be in their late teens to mid 30’s. Come to find out they are fans of a certain group and that’s what they all have in common, hence the name of the Facebook group.
They were lonely. These young people were on line begging anyone to talk to them. They were lonely.
My heart broke and I was frozen in place staring at the faces and reading their words. It was post after post of people almost begging for even a complete stranger to talk to them. I can’t get one girl’s face and words out of my head.
She started out writing things like “hit me up if you wanna talk”, “I’m here and waiting if anyone wants to talk”, “I’m single and only looking for a friend if that’s what you want”. Then it went to “I guess no one wants to talk right now” then at last she wrote.
“I get it now. I’m not loveable and no one wants me.” The empty look in her eyes mixed with sadness and defeat has stuck with me.
It has been said that “Lonely is not being alone, it’s the feeling that no one cares.”-unknown
Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt so alone that you thought no one could ever love you or wanted you?
Hagar a woman who was lonely
Have you ever heard of Hagar? She was an Egyptian slave to Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Hagar’s story is found in Genesis chapters 16 and 21. Started out with a job and a home and ended up as a single mother, out of work and homeless. Forced to wander in the wilderness. She and her son almost died of thirst and starvation.
Talk about being broken and lonely! But her desperation was God’s divine appointment and not only did He save her and her son, but went on to form a nation from her son.
You really should read her story. She has an amazing encounter with and angel and then with God. Her life is proof that God has a plan and a purpose for every life. He sees you in your desperation and He knows you. Nothing is too hard for God.
There is hope for our feelings of being alone
I’m here to tell you without a doubt there is one who loves you so much He gave His life for you! He would leave the 99 to come look just for you! You are precious in His sight and nothing you can do will stop Him from loving you!
His name is Jesus. Because Jesus loves you with an everlasting and unconditional love you are NEVER alone!
Nothing can seperate you from His love and not even a pandemic can keep Him away from you.
There is no where that you can go that He doesn’t see you. There is not a word that comes from your mouth that He doesn’t hear.
Yes, sometimes life is hard. Sometimes it just plain stinks! People let us down. The people who are supposed to be there for us and love us the most will disappoint and hurt us.
Parents, brothers and sisters, other family members, our friends, our co-workers and even our children at some point will all let us down. They will all hurt us in some way. But Jesus never fails us. He never forsakes us!
- John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
- 1John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
- Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
- Jeremiah 31:3 “The Lord appeared to him from far away, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
- Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
- Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
- 1Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares on him, because He cares for you.”
- Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be dismayed, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
- Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
- Psalm 27:10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
- Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”
- Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
- Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; the shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
- Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
The Bible is full of stories of God’s love for us. How He wants a relationship with you because He loves you. He is here for you. God knows you and you are not alone.
God says in Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb…”
You are never alone. The next time you are feeling lonely or unloved try this. Even if you are in a group of people, either step away to the bathroom, go outside or just say it in your head. “God I need you.” Ask God to hear you, to help you and to come be with you. Maybe all you can say is the name of Jesus. Say it!
How I can help you when you feel alone
Please know that no matter what you are going through God knows and He loves you.
I am happy to pray with you and for you. No one ever sees the prayer request that come through my site but me.
I don’t have to know you or all the details of your situation because God does.
Especially during the holidays and times of festivities remember there are people who are not so happy. They are alone.
There is no tree and there are no presents. Lonely people are not all homeless or run-aways. They are not all “trouble makers” or “punk kids with an attitude problem”.
It may be our neighbor who is lonely. The school teacher your child has. Your co-worker, the person who checks you out at the store or even your Sunday school teacher.
We all have our own battles and they are all hard. Loneliness, especially during this season, can make people feel desperate.
Please, please remember to go before God and pray for people.
It’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives and families and plans. Just sometime during your day stop and pray. Either for yourself or someone else, preferably both.
If you skipped all the way down to the end without reading the post that’s ok! Just know that you are NEVER alone and YOU ARE LOVED!
Please share this post so others can have help and hope knowing that they are not alone!
It’s so good to know we are never alone and we are deeply loved. Need to remind myself every day of this truth! Thank you, Karen 🙂
Amen! Grateful to Jesus for being with us always, just like He said He would. Thanks very much for this reminder, Karen. Blessings to you!
I can feel your heart throughout this entire post and all I can say is thank you. I’ve been there. Lonely. Exactly as you’ve descrived it. Just feeling as though no one cares and sometimes I feel it’s one of the enemies top weapons of choice. Isolate us. Make us believe we are alone. Sometimes, as in the case you cited, it might be completely true which is why we more than ever need to comfort with the comfort we have received. This post is full of hope for the hopeless and conviction to those who have been welcomed into Christ’s arms. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s definitely not a fun feeling and I agree completely that Satan likes to use our feelings against us to isolate us and make us feel like we are alone and have no hope. But the devil is a big, fat liar! There is ALWAYS love, forgiveness, hope and acceptance in Jesus!!
Fun fact: I heard a song that said “more than conquerors” and thought that was an amazing lyric. NO idea it was biblical! #Christiannewbie haha. You have such a heart for those who feel like they are missing something in life, because you know the answer is Jesus. It astounds me how often you go out of your way in your writing to show the love of Jesus to everyone. We need more Karen’s in this world!
Oh thank you so much! More than anything I want everyone to know that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, how far you have strayed, or how bad you think you have been there is ALWAYS love and forgiveness in Jesus!!
Your post reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa: “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”
I had many moments of feeling alone before I truly had a relationship with Christ. Once I claimed Jesus as my Friend and Savior, I spent time reflecting back on those moments and envisioning Christ by my side. Doing so has changed those memories for me, and replaced the loneliness with contentment.
I love it! What a great idea about looking back and envisioning Jesus by our side during our hardest moments! Thank you so much ?
Karen, this is such a great reminder to me that I am never alone it’s only my thinking that tells me I am. When I am “looking for love in all the wrong places”, I feel alone. When I go to God to fill me everything changes.
Yes ma’am I have to remind myself of that as well!
A feeling of loneliness has been a struggle for much of my adult life. For a long time, I was lonely, surrounded by people who loved me and were there. Recently, I’ve learned that God uses loneliness to draw me closer to Him, to stop relying on myself and people, and to rely fully on Him. This list of verses is full of truth, hope and encouragement. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing! Praying for you!
I, too, know the pain of feeling lonely. Fortunately for me the Lord saved me at a youngish age (preteen years), so even my loneliest moments have been tempered with the knowledge of His love and the truth that I am never truly alone.
Blessings to you!
Crystal