2-20-2024

Good Morning All,

             Matthew 28: 20b; “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

     Even Elvis asked, “Are you lonesome tonight?”  It is one of the more interesting elements of being a human.  We are social creatures; we tend to seek out companionship.  Yet for many, it is the most elusive part of their life.  Much of the time people feel alone.  There are many “self-help” books and articles that tell you to prepare to be alone, even in a marriage. 

     We see it in pre-teens and in teenagers.  Many times, a young person will join a group, even a group they know is a bad influence and decision to be with, rather than be alone.  They seek acceptance by society, or the group; if they don’t get it from one group, they will seek it from whoever will receive them.  This can include groups that tend to misuse them and abuse them just as long as they are accepted into the groups.  They just don’t want to be alone.

     Sin brought about our sense of loneliness.  The first sin broke the relationship between man and God.  Sin separated us God’s grace and it turned us from being compassionate being into self-centered beings.  The next recorded sin proves this; it is the murder of Abel by Cain.  Jealousy, envy, greed among other emotions and desires drove Cain to kill his brother and soon this anger became loneliness.  This is what sin does; it separates us from God and from each other.  We are left lonely.

    This is part of what Jesus came to change.  He came to reconcile us back to God and back to each other.  This is why he teaches his disciples to love one another.  This is the answer to loneliness; God giving us his love and then this love flowing through us to others.  This is one of our greatest gifts; the gift of loving and of being loved.  It is the end of loneliness.

    Yet the devil does all he can to convince us that we are alone.  It is one of his greatest lies.  He wants you to feel that you are isolated and all alone.  Once he has you convinced of this, he can torment you.  This is why we so often feel all alone.  It is the devil trying to entice you to leave God’s gracious and loving arms in order that you might be his target.

    Yet Jesus knows his plans and his ways.  Jesus knows our fear and pain in loneliness.  He has promised that we will never be alone.  He has promised to be with us to do protect us from the devil.  We can live in the certainty of his unending mercy.  We live with his eternal presence in our lives giving us the peace and confidence to face the struggles of this life with courage and certainty that we do not face them alone.  We face them with the certainty of God’s mercy always being present.

Gracious Lord, you are always with me.  You guard and protect me from all that the devil throws at me.  Keep me in your loving arms.  Be with those who are especially feeling alone at this time.  Bring them to the certainty of your grace.  Give them the wondrous knowledge of your loving protection and peace.  In your name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret