By Chris WittsFriday 17 May 2024Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
Harry Secombe – remember him? He sang a song called ‘No Man Is an Island’, and in the song he has the line – “No man walks alone,” but as I think about that, I wonder if it’s really true. No man walks alone. Is that really right? You can be part of a large crowd and I think, still feel terribly alone.
I wonder if that’s been your experience and if we were really honest, most of us would say one of the things we fear in life is loneliness, who wants to be on their own?
It’s been said that loneliness is one of the greatest problems of our age. And do you know, the Bible seems to indicate that it had been a problem from the very beginning because in the first book of the Bible in Genesis, we read about Adam, who was the world’s first lonely man.
It’s not good for man to be alone
And here were God’s words. It’s not good for man to be alone. I will make a partner for him.
So you have the man and the woman living in perfect conditions for a while, and Satan tempted them, and sin entered their hearts and cut them off from their creator. And as I think through their action, loneliness entered the world.
You might know what it is to be lonely – people before you and generations before you have felt lonely. The psalmist, for example. In Psalm 22:1-2, he said this, My God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? I cry out day and night, but you don’t answer and I can never rest.
And to me, that’s the cry of a lonely man. Have you ever felt like that?
Well, God did something about our loneliness and sent Jesus our best friend. And with Jesus in our heart, we will never be alone in the crowd. So what can we do about loneliness?
I think that loneliness needs to be accepted and understood for what it is, and it can be solved. Don’t run away from it or deny it do something about it. Perhaps there were unresolved conflicts that remain hidden in your life that make you feel lonely. And so we need to face up to the fears or conflicts by being honest with ourselves and face up to those intense feelings of loneliness. And it’s only then that we’ll be free to change. Often these problems I’m talking about come from childhood.
Many of us live out the programming of our childhood. And if you were a lonely child, then loneliness will continue with you. It can be an ongoing problem. Perhaps you never had a special friend or a close friend or you didn’t belong to a close-knit family. You didn’t feel happy?
Well, no man is an island. As Harry Secombe sang, We cannot survive alone. I like Henry Nan and his book The Wounded Healer. He says A man can keep his sanity and stay alive as long as there is at least one person who was waiting for him. He said a dying mother can stay alive to see her son before she gives up the struggle. But when nothing and nobody is waiting, there is no chance to survive in the struggle for life. That’s what Henry Nan said in that book, the Wounded Healer.
So it’s true. We need other people. We need to make the effort to establish friendships, to stop being lonely. There’s a wonderful verse you ought to look at Proverbs 18:24 that says some friends don’t help, but a true friend is closer than your own family. Proverbs 18:24. So remember that there are others that are probably feeling lonely. Introduce yourself to people. Be approachable, use the phone, take a genuine interest in people.
And when we think of loneliness in that way, it’s not something to be feared, but it can be a gift. De Guinness says that in his book, How to Mend a Broken Heart He says – that 80% of life satisfaction comes from relationships. He says People need other people.
Let’s Pray
Well, Father, God, we do pray for those who are lonely. We know that in you we can find a place of trust and love and joy and peace. We acknowledge your presence today, but bless those Lord who are lonely because I ask this prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.