When Loneliness Creeps In…
When loneliness creeps in, a sort of darkness seems to come along with it. There is such a difference between being alone and being lonely.
Loneliness can overcome us in the midst of a crowd. It invades like an evil army and marches straight to our hearts and minds, clouding the reality of things around us. Loneliness attacks viciously and veils us with a sense of melancholy. Then, it strikes at us in a way that leaves us paralyzed and bewildered.
Loneliness whispers in our ear that no one else understands and no one cares. Loneliness will try and choke out our hope and light if we let it.
As an only child, I am no stranger to being alone. I actually quite enjoy being alone at times just as much as I enjoy being in big groups. In the past I’ve enjoyed going to the movies, eating at a restaurant, and even traveling by myself. I love the time of reflection and introspection, but there have been times when loneliness has crept in and tried to steal those joyful moments.
Recognizing the Root Cause
Recently, the evil mist of loneliness invaded my space, for no other reason than I believe Satan is trying to keep me from moving forward in what I’ve been called to do. It was suffocating. It was physically oppressive, truly making it difficult to breathe. I know better now that it’s an attack but sometimes I don’t recognize it at first. Do you know what I mean? It’s like I’m blind or unable to identify the root cause as it’s attacking. It was overwhelming.
And then, in prayer there it was–the root cause. A combination of fear and loneliness. I was attacking the fear but didn’t realize loneliness was surrounding it.
Beware of Satan’s Tricks
Satan is so good at what he does, guys! He’s been at this for a long time. He was over there allowing me to see how he was working fear in my life. He dangled it at me like a little kid saying “Nanny, Nanny, Boo Boo!” While keeping my attention on that, at the SAME TIME he was letting loneliness works its way quietly in. He had me focus on what I thought was the big thing, the main cause, but diverted my attention away from the other things he was doing.
Around the time of my realization, a friend asked how she could pray for me. So honestly I told her, “I’m feeling lonely.” I hadn’t expressed it out loud up to that point because it made me feel weak to admit it. Oh, pride, step out of the way!
God works through our weaknesses. He gives us strength when we are willing to be honest with ourselves and Him about what we are going through. And when we admit it to others we trust, we realize we aren’t the only ones who have dealt with it. We help others release any guilt they might have for letting those feelings overtake them.
Loving My Alone Time While Kicking Out Loneliness
Give whatever you’re struggling with to God openly and honestly and He will give you hope back. A few days later, while memorizing John 1 with my kids, we wrote the next verse on the board:
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus’ bright light of hope shattered the dark mist that had been covering me! Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it! It can’t overcome it! Praise the Lord for what He has done for us! We do not have to allow the darkness to invade us…it has no power over us. We will not be overcome by it, if we hold on to Jesus and let Him shine His light in our souls. Boldly rebuking Satan in Jesus’ name, let’s allow light and hope back into our hearts and minds.
Jesus would often go off alone to pray. May we too take time to be alone in prayer to our amazing God who can overcome our struggles with loneliness.
When we are alone with God, we are never really “alone.” God is ALWAYS with us.
Prayer Over our Hearts
Lord, we praise you! We are in awe of how you work in our lives. How you, as the Word, bring hope in our lives. How you are constantly reminding us that our souls will not be overcome by Satan’s ways. He has no spiritual hold over us. Praise you, Lord! Praise you for loving us through our weakness and shining brightly through them. In the One who is the light that cannot be overcome – Amen!
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
- Back to the Basics! - February 24, 2020
- Blessing Others with a Valentine’s Day Heart Attack - February 10, 2020
- Are You Willing to Be Humiliated? - December 9, 2019
That is a great verse to have on hand! Thanks for sharing your heart, love you!
Thanks, Kristin! It has definitely encouraged my heart to focus on the power of Christ, instead of the darkness that tries to creep in.
“Give whatever you’re struggling with to God openly and honestly and He will give you hope back.” I have definitely experienced this. Even within the subject of loneliness. Within the past 6 months I have felt this loneliness… I exhausted prayers, thoughts, and feelings. Until one day I just dropped to the floor and cried out to God. I was without eloquent words… I just told Him how I felt. I asked Him to please show up in a mighty way. He did. He always does. In the midst of waiting he certainly does leave us with hope. Hope that… Read more »
Praise Him for showing up in mighty ways!! It truly is amazing!
It’s amazing how much power we have over Satan! We have the Holy Spirit within us, fighting for us. And you are so right – the darkness cannot overcome the light!
When we try to work in our own power, we will be overcome, but when we allow our Lord’s power to take over, the devil must flee!
Lots of people get married, thinking they will no longer be lonely. But I know so many married women who are lonely. They need to bask in the presence of Jesus, as He is the only one who can always be with us and never let us down.
Yes, I like this verse “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”.As children of God, we have nothing to lose.
Love that Jesus have overcome the darkness and the light of Christ always shines through. Yet there are often times we feel like the darkness will never end, I love John 1:5, for those who are struggling to see the light. Thanks for sharing!
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This is such an important verse for us to memorize in our own personal lives but also on a larger scale as our world appears to be growing ever darker.