A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6 ESV
This verse is a reminder to me of how intentional God is; how He notices those who are lonely. I've encountered a handful of conversations or messages or articles that mention the level of loneliness our nation, and more specifically my generation claims to feel. There are so many factors in life that can facilitate a feeling of loneliness such as jobs or where we live, or even what we believe. I can name many times in my life where my beliefs have "isolated" me from others. A handful of these times have occurred in crowded rooms.
I spent a year in Orlando living alone, in an area of Orlando where not many young people lived, and it. was. lonely. I had a couple of friends in Orlando still but they were at least 30 minutes away. It was during the summer of this year did I begin to pursue a true relationship with God. I experienced my first doses of anxiety during this year and skeptically approached this relationship not thinking I would feel the comfort and peace I had heard others talk about.
But I was wrong.
The more time I spent with Him, the more I read the bible or watched sermons; the more of Him I took in, the more peace I put out. The more confidence I had in choices. The more hope I had in an uncertain future. The more I could trust that God was present and aware of my circumstances. I began to feel less lonely even on the days when I'd hide away in my apartment and only go outside to walk my dog, having filled my time learning about Him.
If you're feeling alone, I encourage you to take the time to see if you truly are. We all walk through hardships. Some we can see, others we cannot.
We only trust those we know...