Overcoming Loneliness in College a 9-Day Devotional by Cantice Greene and Joshua GreeneSample

Overcome Loneliness by Cultivating Solitude

Cantice says…

When I was in college, the phrase “broke college student” was a real thing. Sometimes, being broke meant I didn’t have any food. Sure, I might have been able to find some food in the café (thank you meal plan), but if it was past dining hours (after 6 pm) and I was pulling an all-nighter (midnight and beyond), my stomach would just have to go without. At those times, I would replay in my head what I heard some of the campus ministers say, “Just pray and call it a fast.” What they meant by that is, sometimes, when you’re stuck (like when you don’t have the means to eat what you want), declare a fast—get alone with Jesus, pray, and make something good come out of a bad situation. Of course, these situations were temporary. In the morning or after said “fast,” we were always happy to eat.

You can apply that same “Just pray and call it a fast” sentiment to a temporary time of solitude. When friends have other commitments or, when you sense that God is drawing you into an intimate time of fellowship alone with Him, or when you need to make an important decision, embrace solitude, using it to dig deep into His word and into prayer and worship. On Day 2, we read Matthew 14:23 and discovered together that Jesus also withdrew from others to pray. There are so many ways God likes to receive our worship. Singing is just one way. There’s also hiking, painting, crafting, running, or whatever activity sets your mind deeply on the holy attributes of God.

When I was single, I loved to play my favorite music and dance around my apartment. Inevitably, I’d end the time by praying to the Lord, overwhelmed by His goodness in my life. I’d think of all the compromising situations He’d delivered me from, and I could hardly contain my gratitude. I bet if you get alone in His presence long enough, you’ll become overwhelmed by His goodness, just like I was.

“Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:3-6 NIV

Meditate on this: John 8:29; Esther Chapters 4-7