I’ve written before about the loneliness that Ruth must have felt when she went to Israel with Naomi. There was no one from her culture or family there and the people of Israel weren’t on civil terms with the Moabites.
What about loneliness on a whole different level?
My friend spent years in solitary confinement, isolated from human contact and endured unspeakable atrocities, all because of his exceptional talent. Being alone, hated and abused became a way of life for him. If anyone knows the pain and fear of having nowhere to belong it is him yet he finds comfort in knowing that he has a Saviour who willingly endured the same pain just so he could be redeemed from a life of sadness, sin and fear and so he could belong to a family and never be alone again.
He sent me this poem today:
He had no church 1 Jesus roamed the earth without a church, Lonely, with a soul that seemed to search. He spoke of love and preached of peace, But in his heart, a yearning would never cease. The multitudes gathered, hungry for his words, But in his solitude, he felt like a bird. A creature without a home or a nest, A wanderer, burdened by an unending quest. His life was one of sorrow and pain, His destiny, a sacrifice, in a brutal reign. He left behind no building or shrine, Only memories of a life divine. 2 Amidst the wanderings of a restless soul, He roamed the earth, his heart a deep hole. No temple or cathedral could contain, The love and mercy he sought to maintain. In fields and on hills, he preached of light, His message of hope, a shining delight. But in his solitude, a yearning remained, A longing for a home that seemed restrained. No walls or roofs could contain his grace, No earthly temple could match his embrace. For his house was not of brick and stone, But in the hearts of those who make love known. So he wandered the land, a homeless king, Searching for a place where he could sing. But he found no shelter, no home to rest, Only the pain of a life that felt oppressed. Yet in our hearts, his message still lives, A beacon of hope that forever gives. For his house is not of brick and stone, But in the hearts of those who make love known.
So on another level again, Jesus voluntarily endured loneliness with all his friends deserting Him, even betraying Him, so that He could bring the hope of being a part of His family to all who are alone in this world.
So in our journey with Jesus, loneliness is an impossibility for He is always with us:
“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psa. 23:4).
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All quotations are from the NLT.