Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. – Psalm 25:16
Everyone, at some point in life, experiences loneliness. In his book Facing Loneliness, J. Oswald Sanders writes, “The round of pleasure or the amassing of wealth are but vain attempts to escape from the persistent ache…. The millionaire is usually a lonely man and the comedian is often more unhappy than his audience.”
Sanders goes on to emphasize that being successful often fails to produce satisfaction. Then he refers to Henry Martyn, a distinguished scholar, as an example of what he is talking about. Martyn, a Cambridge University student, was honored at only 20 years of age for his achievements in mathematics. In fact, he was given the highest recognition possible in that field.
But he still felt such emptiness inside. In fact, he was quoted as saying that instead of finding fulfillment in his achievements, he had “only grasped a shadow.”
After evaluating his life’s goals, Martyn sailed to India as a missionary at the age of 24. When he arrived, he prayed, “Lord, let me burn out for You!” And in the next 7 years that preceded his death, he translated the New Testament into three languages!
Do you want to know what the key to overcoming loneliness is? It’s living your life on a purposeful mission for God. So if you find yourself with feelings of loneliness, reach out to others with the love of Christ and watch the peace of God invade your heart!
Pray that God would reveal to you areas where you can turn any loneliness into service to Him and that you would be overcome by His supernatural peace.–Senior Living
