God is with You

Loneliness can be one of the hardest parts of being single. In singleness, we don’t have a significant other to go on dates with, talk through our day, and share our hopes and fears. We might have to eat dinner at the restaurant alone or be at home with no one to share our time and experiences. But it’s not just physically being alone that makes me lonely. Going for a walk and seeing couples holding hands, attending a wedding, and once again marking “no guest,” or relatives asking why I didn’t bring a boyfriend to the family gathering can all make loneliness overwhelm me.

But despite how lonely I have felt, it cannot compare to Jeremiah. God commanded Jeremiah to stay single because the time and place where Jeremiah lived was so terrible that no children should grow up in it. Jeremiah lived in Judah and was called to tell the Judean people they were sinning against God. He preached to them to repent of their sins ranging in everything from committing adultery to child sacrifice. Not surprisingly, the Judeans hated hearing Jeremiah’s message. His hometown tried to kill him, he was put in solitary confinement, and he was even thrown into a cistern to die as he sunk into the mud. I cannot imagine how lonely those situations must have felt!

But despite the hardships, Jeremiah was able to say, “But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior…Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked (Jeremiah 20:11-13).”

Jeremiah knew that no matter how lonely the people around him made him feel, he was never alone. And despite all of our struggles with loneliness—the third wheeling, the lonely nights, the disappointment that you still don’t have a date for the event—we can also be confident that God is with us. In Isaiah 41, God says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).”

The next time you feel lonely—whether you are physically alone or in a crowd of people—remember God is with you. Talk to God about how you feel. And just like with Jeremiah, He can give you the assurance that you are never alone!