Sad, Lonely, Empty?
Have you ever felt a wave of loneliness just suddenly come upon you? Or maybe you’ve been feeling it for a while, but it comes and goes. It usually happens to me when the Facebook news feed dies down, when the T.V. is off, or when I’m bored. It happens when I shut off the YouTube and Netflix, and I have a moment of silence. That’s when the loneliness sets in. It’s typically when the emails stop coming in, there’s no one to text, and the distractions momentarily cease. Have you had that feeling? It can also feel like a dull aching of sorrow or discomfort in your heart. Emptiness. Have you ever questioned if there’s more to life, what the future held for you, or if you had a bigger purpose? Soon, the day-to-day routines feel so trivial and pointless. But why?
You may think, “But I should not be lonely, I have a wealth of people in my life.” You may be married and have kids. You may have plenty of friends and/or siblings. You may even be active in a nice church with many brothers or sisters in Christ. Yet, you still feel lonely. Some of us have heavy hearts, or we feel a certain desire, hunger, or thirst. You could feel irritable, depressed, or unsettled. We feel this because we all have a hole or void in our life that only God can fill. You may be a Christian, and have been for your whole life; but these sensations, can and will, still manifest. It’s a reminder that we need more of Jesus. It is because the living God is knocking at our door, our Heavenly Father, our Creator.
Don’t feel bad. This can happen to anyone, regardless of your level of faith. This happens to me often, which I don’t count as a bad thing. It’s a good way to keep me in check, so that I never wander or stray too far away from God. I want to be solely dependent on Him, and if I ever think I am smart enough, or strong enough to do it myself, He is faithful to remind me that I’m not. This is truly a blessing. These feelings help me to evaluate myself. Am I still living for God? Do I have things in my life that are displeasing to Him? Is there a repentance session that I’m avoiding? Have I forgotten Him? Am I placing people or objects above Him? Jeremiah 2:13 says, my people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Nothing will satisfy our need and fill us up. We need God; we must turn back to Him.
God does not want us empty. Psalms 63:1 says You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. We must seek the Lord. He does not want to send us to Hell, nor does He want us to stay living in sin. Sin separates us from God, but because of Jesus’ death at the cross and resurrection, we can ask God for forgiveness and He will forgive us. No sin is too big or bad in God’s eyes. He wants to help. He wants to fill the void and emptiness you feel. He wants to water your thirst; He wants you to feel whole and complete. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail (Isaiah 58:11). Doesn’t that sounds amazing? So, what are you waiting for?
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
We praise you, and acknowledge you as our Father and Creator. You are so wonderful and perfect. You are mighty to save. Lord, I thank you for the readers and I lift them up to you right now in Jesus Name. Many times I’ve felt empty, lonely, and sad. You remind me that what I’m missing is you; however, when I turn back to you, you’ve been faithful to fill this void. I need you Lord, and so do all those reading. Please also show the readers that you can fill them up, you can give them true satisfaction. No drugs, alcohol, retail therapy, or anything else can take your place. Those may help momentarily, but You are real, compassionate, kind, loving, and merciful. You do not harm us, but have plans to give us a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). Let us come to You Lord, to receive what you have for us. Remove anything that would be blocking us from coming to You. Thank you Sovereign Lord.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayerfully,
Pam
