By David ReayThursday 5 Aug 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (NLT)
The very first thing God called “not good” about his world was aloneness. The first human beings were made for belonging, not aloneness. We were not created to be hermits, to be utterly self sufficient. We are not meant to live in splendid isolation.
Most of us realise this and accept the fact we are social beings. But it is possible to be all alone while surrounded by other people. It is possible to be lonely in a crowd. It is possible to have many acquaintances and even friends and still be lonely. This is so because overcoming the “not good” of aloneness requires more than physical proximity or time spent with others.
Connection is the vital element we can miss. I can be at a social function and even be the life of the party and yet come home lonely. No deep connection, no empathetic understanding. I can be busily active on social media and feel deeply lonely. A few “likes” and a long list of “friends” does not mean an end to loneliness.
There will be some who will conclude that all we need is the companionship of God. But if that were so, why was God concerned with human aloneness in the first place? He didn’t say he himself was enough: he said one human being needed another human being. Overcoming besetting loneliness needs more than God, more than just other people. It needs connection, insight, love. If you have all this, never let it go.
Blessings
David