Study – Loneliness

I found two places in the Bible that had the word lonely in the scripture. One was in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.

I found the first reference in psalm 68:6 “God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

The second reference is in Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Even though these are the same word in the English language, they are two different words in these scriptures. In Psalm 68:6, the word used is Yachid. This words means what we think of when we use the word only, only one, or solitary.

This psalm is amazing. As I read through the entirety of it, I found myself rejoicing. Yes, verse 6 has the word lonely in it but this chapter is so rich in encouragement. We get the picture of restoration in so many ways. It’s like a motion picture at the beginning where I can see God arising like this monstrously large amazing being, by the likes no one has seen before. He starts arising and all His enemies start to flee. Meanwhile, God’s children are rejoicing behind His protection.

This Psalm draws you in and this is just the beginning. This Psalm is a song of restoration. Among the list of praises to God, we find a praise of God taking care of the lonely. As I studied this scripture in light of the rest of the chapter, I found reference to scattered people, the homeless, the out cast, and the fatherless. I can’t help but feel as though this list goes on and on and includes anyone feeling alone.

As chronic illness sets in and continues, it is easy to feel alone and that no one understands what you are going through. Even your doctors may grasp at solutions and you are left wondering what the future holds. This Psalm is speaking to us too. God never changes, The God who they are singing about in Psalm 68 is very much exactly the same as we reading about today. He is a restorer, He does go out before us, He does refresh the weary, and He does provide. Verse 19 says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Let’s remember this verse, that we are not alone, that God is bearing our burdens. Let us remember that no matter what life is throwing at us that God is right there. He is not surprised by your diagnosis, He was not caught off guard. He never has to catch up. He is never distracted dealing with something else and He sees you out of the corner of His eye and goes “oops, forgot about her”. That never happens. God is not human, we cannot put human limitations on Him. Humans exist in time, God transcends time. Humans have limited brains, focus, and understanding. God is limitless in everything. When we feel alone, we might just need to ask God if we are putting limitations on Him.

This Psalm is just packed full of encouragement. At the end in verse 35 we see that God gives power and strength to His people. How many times a day do you wish you had the power and strength to do something?

He is there for us to find our strength in. The Bible is amazing. I started out on a word study on loneliness seeking to write encouragement for those for chronic illness. God not only led me to a scripture but a whole chapter surrounding it, packed full of pictures of God’s love and strength. A song that fills the soul and excites the lonely. I hope this encourages you as much as it has me!

May we be forever at His feet looking up, learning, and soaking up His encouragement that we are never alone.