The other day, as I was travelling in the city where I live, I began to think about all the thousands of homes there are, each one with its joys and its problems. It occurred to me how many lonely people live in these houses.  In my work as a minister, I had visited many church members who were elderly and infirm, living on their own.  Often, when I would get up to go, they would say to me: “Surely you’re not going already!”  I knew exactly what they meant - they wanted me to stay a while because they were lonely and glad of a visit.  In order to encourage them, I would help them to make a cup of tea and have a further chat with them.  In some cases, I realised that their next visitor would be me, in a week or two.  Some had relatives; others had none at all. They were lonely.

I know that loneliness is not confined to the elderly, the infirm and those living alone.  There can be many situations in which a person can feel isolated with no one to turn to. Because of the rush of modern society, community life has been destroyed, to a great extent. This is especially true in large towns and cities but also, I am sorry to say, in villages as well. The days when people looked out for each other are gone forever; it would seem that we are living in a time when many do not even know their immediate neighbours.  Sadly, we have very little time for each other or time to consider the needs of those around us. It is also true to say that life is so full and pressures are so many that we hardly have any time for ourselves. The words of the poet, W H Davies, are relative to our day:

                 ‘What is this life if, full of care,
                  We have no time to stand and stare.’

Loneliness is a very real problem to those who are alone.  Some people cope with it better than others.  Unfortunately, it can affect our total outlook on life and can make each day a very heavy burden to bear, often leading to depression. Little things can become big things, preoccupying us completely. We can feel that happiness is elusive and well nigh impossible.  Loneliness can make us feel unwanted and unneeded.  It brings despair with it and all interest in life dies.  But it need not be so.  I am addressing both those who cope fairly well and also those who cannot cope at all, and my aim is to help you both.

The Bible has something to say regarding every situation in our lives, if we are willing to pay attention.  However, we need to know something else before we can begin to appreciate the comfort in the Bible.  There is One who is behind the Bible and we need first to learn about Him. I am speaking of God. I am speaking of the Lord. In particular, you must appreciate that the Lord wishes to know you and to comfort you. He wishes to bring you into a relationship with Himself, to be your Heavenly Father.
                                                                                                                                                      You may well ask, “How can this be?” The Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to make it possible for men and women like ourselves to be able to call the Eternal God, Father.  Let me tell you about the loneliest place that could ever be.  It was a place called Calvary, where the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.  It seemed that this place was the end of everything, but, in fact, it was the beginning.  You see, there was a profound meaning to His death.  The Lord Jesus Christ Himself never sinned, for He was sinless and innocent and pure.  This is not the case with us, for we have all sinned and, because of this, are estranged from God, our Creator.  The Lord Jesus went to this lonely place to be punished for our sins and remove the obstacle between us and God.
When God is working in our hearts, we find ourselves considering these things. When, eventually, we recognise our sin, there will be a powerful desire to turn away from it all and call on God. This is the value of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  He died for you and me and took our punishment upon Himself so that we might be right with God and so enjoy Him forever.

When you are right with God, your home in heaven is then established and God’s presence is with you every day.  You will never be alone again, for He will always be with you and will never leave you nor forsake you.  You will learn to pray and share everything with Him because He will mean everything to you.  This is the only answer to loneliness.  Friends and families come and go, but God is always the same. 

In this experience of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is great contentment and a new meaning to life.  To your amazement, you will look around and find others who need this new peace that you have found, this peace which brings joy to many a soul. 

           What a friend we have in Jesus,
            All our sins and griefs to bear!
            What a privilege to carry
            Everything to God in prayer!
            O what peace we often forfeit,
            O what needless pain we bear,
            All because we do not carry
            Everything to God in prayer!