Day 14: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
2020 has been a lonely year for many of us. Children attending school at home without their friends. Trips to see family and friends cancelled. Visits to loved ones in nursing homes and hospitals curtailed. Working from home without the camaraderie of colleagues. Attending church online without receiving encouragement from fellow members or Christ’s body and blood. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners eaten alone or with far fewer people around the table.
I don’t know about you, but for me the quarantine was much easier to take back in March and April. Our lives slowed down. I had more time with my immediate family. I got more sleep and exercise. I used internet technology to reconnect with family and friends who live far away. This was a huge blessing. Now, though, I am tired of quarantine and lacking the motivation to “make the best of it.” The longer it goes on the lonelier I feel, the less motivated I become to do something about it, which just leaves me feeling even more lonely.
Jesus is familiar with loneliness. And I would contend that while Jesus can empathize with our loneliness. We can not empathize with his. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was in anguish about to face torture and execution, He pleaded with his disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) As you know, they fell asleep. Being alone and in anguish is something we can relate to. However, then we hear Jesus cry out on the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This is something we can not imagine for we have never been forsaken by God. We might think we feel like we have, but that is not reality. God has never forsaken us. Jesus promised us, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
St. Paul, another man well-acquainted with loneliness, offers an interesting perspective in his letter to the Corinthians:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
So what should we do in the midst of loneliness? First, we need to receive Christ’s comfort. We find this in prayer, Word, and Sacrament. If you are unable to attend church in person because of health concerns but would feel comfortable with a visit from your pastor, call him and ask him to bring the Lord’s Supper to you. Pray and spend time reading God’s Word. Maybe call a Christian friend who is a good listener and ask for some encouragement. And then, because we often feel better when we serve others than when we indulge in self-pity, use the comfort that Christ has given you to reach out and comfort someone else. That feeling of loneliness may still hang around, it may go away and come back later, but God will help you cope with it.
And remember, no matter how lonely you feel, you are never actually alone.
Bible Readings: Isaiah 41:1-20, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, John 16:17-33
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