Loneliness - SE StudentsSample

Jesus

This week we have looked at David, Leah, and the bleeding woman, all of who felt deep loneliness in different ways. Today we are going to look at how Jesus experienced loneliness and how He also sought out solitude. 

Jesus’ whole purpose on earth was a lonely one; no one could do it for Him and no one understood what it would take. He had to be the one to live a perfect life, and die a horrific death on the cross that He did not deserve, all while trying to share the story of salvation with people who were so rooted in their beliefs that they called for His death instead of hearing Him out. Some people loved Him, some people hated Him, and a lot of people had questions and pursued the chance to see a miracle take place. 

There were times when the crowds around Jesus were massive and overwhelming, and in those times, He often sought out places of solitude in the caves surrounding the Sea of Galilee. This was called an eremos place. It was any place where Jesus spent intentional time with His Father. He spent time in prayer, meditation, and listening for the right next steps on His journey to the cross. In these moments, Jesus was eager to spend time alone and looked for opportunities to do so. But there were other moments when Jesus could have felt completely abandoned by those closest to Him, and even by His Father on the cross. 

When we are in our loneliest and darkest moments, God can feel so far away. It feels like no one is listening, and no one cares that we are hurting, but we can see the end of Jesus’ story. God did not forsake Him; He never abandoned Him, and in the end, death was defeated and Jesus was triumphant! Allow God to continue moving and working in you even when the loneliness seems endless, and invite God into those moments. Doing so may turn your loneliest places into your eremos place. 

Thanks for completing this reading plan! We pray that this helped you get connected to Jesus. We would love to hear from you on how God used this plan in your life. Keep the conversation going by emailing us at keeptalking@secc.org.