In 1956, Jim Elliot, missionary to Ecuador, was murdered by the very people he was sent to reach.  Left to serve God without a husband by her side, Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “Loneliness comes over us sometimes as a sudden tide. It is one of the terms of our humanness, and, in a sense, therefore, incurable. Yet I have found peace in my loneliest times not only through acceptance of the situation, but through making it an offering to God, who can transfigure it into something for the good of others.”

     Loneliness is indeed “one of the terms of our humanness.”  Loneliness is more than seclusion or isolation; it is inner emptiness.  It is the inability to connect or commune with others regardless of their proximity.  You can be in a kitchen, cathedral, or colosseum full of people and still feel alone.

     But the truth is: Believers are never alone.  There may be times when we feel lonely, but we have the promise of His presence.  The Lord said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).  What great consolation and assurance there is in knowing that the great God of all creation promises His perpetual and continual companionship throughout all the days of our lives. He is with you now, and there will never be a moment when that truth is not a reality in your life.