It is quite common for those of us with mental illness to feel alone in this world. We tend to feel this way partially because mental illness is so stigmatized in society but it is also because we are so misunderstood by society and the Church. This feeling of aloneness has led many people with mental illness to take their own lives or resort to self-harm. For those of us who are Christians, we actually have good news that should inspire us to hope instead of despair. How exactly does the Bible answer the aloneness we feel? In this blog, I will discuss the hope we have in Christ that should bring us great comfort in our moments of loneliness. However, before I get into what the Bible says concerning this topic, I would like to tell you that I understand what it feels like to feel like you are alone and no one understands you. For the majority of my life, I have always had this gnawing feeling of loneliness that I had to wrestle with. As a matter of fact, that feeling has led me to get into some very unhealthy relationships with women who did not mean me well. So, please know that I get what you may be feeling and know that I do not take this issue lightly. I completely understand how devastating and life-threatening loneliness can be. Now, how does the word of God address this topic?
"Keep your life free from the love of money, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'." -Hebrews 13:5
In this text, we have the beautiful promise that the infinite and holy Creator of the universe will never leave us nor forsake us. This means that the Lord is always there for those who put their faith in Christ. Even in our darkest times, we can always turn to Him and He always hears us too. This is why King Solomon can say in Proverbs 18:10,
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe"
In our moments of loneliness, we know that we have an infinitely powerful God who controls all things that come to pass and cares for us. We also know that the Lord is faithful to us because as 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us,
"If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself"
Even when we are not faithful to Him, The Lord remains faithful to us! This means that even when we neglect to read His word, go to church regularly, or even pray, He is still right there with us. He is forever on our side! This means that we are never truly alone, despite how we are feeling at the moment. This is why the Apostle Paul can say in Romans 8:31,
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Since the infinitely wise and holy and powerful God is for us, we have every reason in the world to have hope in this life and the next. This is great news for those of us who struggle with feelings of loneliness because we understand that we can never truly be alone. I know that when my feelings of loneliness creep up on me, these reminders bring me immense comfort. I know that if you take the time to meditate on these things they will bring you great comfort as well. I understand that we may still struggle with feelings of loneliness because we do not always feel the presence of God. However, when those moments creep up, it is important for us to trust His word over our own feelings. Emotions are deceptive but the word of God is not. As the writer to the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 6:18,
"... so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us"
We can take God's word to the bank because we know that He is always truthful for he cannot lie. Our emotions lie to us all the time so we must not trust how we are currently feeling. God's word does not change nor is it subject to failure. God's word always accomplishes His purposes. But, what is the biblical solution for those of us who struggle with feelings of loneliness despite all these great promises from God?
"...not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" Hebrews 10:25
It is vitally important for us to not forsake the gathering of the saints. We absolutely need fellowship with one another. I know that when we are feeling depression and loneliness that the last thing we want to do is be around other people. However, when we are alone we are much more susceptible to the devils' attacks. There truly is strength in numbers and when we go to church every Sunday we really do feel rejuvenated to face the rest of the week. When we participate in the weekly worship of God with the saints of God, we will have a difficult time feeling alone especially when your brothers and sisters are encouraging you in the faith. Our Christian family is much more important than our blood family in a lot of cases because our Christian family is who we will spend eternity with. You won't be spending eternity with your blood family unless they put their faith in Christ.
I hope that this blog has encouraged you if you are feeling lonely and misunderstood. I pray that you will meditate on these truths and praise the Lord for His faithfulness to us. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"Keep your life free from the love of money, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'." -Hebrews 13:5
In this text, we have the beautiful promise that the infinite and holy Creator of the universe will never leave us nor forsake us. This means that the Lord is always there for those who put their faith in Christ. Even in our darkest times, we can always turn to Him and He always hears us too. This is why King Solomon can say in Proverbs 18:10,
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe"
In our moments of loneliness, we know that we have an infinitely powerful God who controls all things that come to pass and cares for us. We also know that the Lord is faithful to us because as 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us,
"If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself"
Even when we are not faithful to Him, The Lord remains faithful to us! This means that even when we neglect to read His word, go to church regularly, or even pray, He is still right there with us. He is forever on our side! This means that we are never truly alone, despite how we are feeling at the moment. This is why the Apostle Paul can say in Romans 8:31,
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Since the infinitely wise and holy and powerful God is for us, we have every reason in the world to have hope in this life and the next. This is great news for those of us who struggle with feelings of loneliness because we understand that we can never truly be alone. I know that when my feelings of loneliness creep up on me, these reminders bring me immense comfort. I know that if you take the time to meditate on these things they will bring you great comfort as well. I understand that we may still struggle with feelings of loneliness because we do not always feel the presence of God. However, when those moments creep up, it is important for us to trust His word over our own feelings. Emotions are deceptive but the word of God is not. As the writer to the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 6:18,
"... so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us"
We can take God's word to the bank because we know that He is always truthful for he cannot lie. Our emotions lie to us all the time so we must not trust how we are currently feeling. God's word does not change nor is it subject to failure. God's word always accomplishes His purposes. But, what is the biblical solution for those of us who struggle with feelings of loneliness despite all these great promises from God?
"...not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" Hebrews 10:25
It is vitally important for us to not forsake the gathering of the saints. We absolutely need fellowship with one another. I know that when we are feeling depression and loneliness that the last thing we want to do is be around other people. However, when we are alone we are much more susceptible to the devils' attacks. There truly is strength in numbers and when we go to church every Sunday we really do feel rejuvenated to face the rest of the week. When we participate in the weekly worship of God with the saints of God, we will have a difficult time feeling alone especially when your brothers and sisters are encouraging you in the faith. Our Christian family is much more important than our blood family in a lot of cases because our Christian family is who we will spend eternity with. You won't be spending eternity with your blood family unless they put their faith in Christ.
I hope that this blog has encouraged you if you are feeling lonely and misunderstood. I pray that you will meditate on these truths and praise the Lord for His faithfulness to us. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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