Day 17 — Lonely

“Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart increase; free me from my distress.”

— Psalm 25:16–17 (BSB)

You can be lonely in a crowded classroom. You can be lonely in a busy house. You can be lonely with three hundred contacts in your phone. Loneliness isn’t just being alone. It’s the feeling that nobody really sees you, or that if you disappeared for a week, it might take a while for anyone to notice.

Maybe your best friend has found a new group and you’re on the edge of it. Maybe your family moved to a new city, or a new country, and you’re the new one who doesn’t know the language of the playground jokes. Maybe you’re the only Christian in your class. Maybe there’s just a quiet ache you can’t explain.

Look at today’s prayer. David, the king, the warrior, the songwriter, said plainly: “I am lonely.” He didn’t dress it up. He didn’t pretend to feel close to God in that moment. He just told God the truth and asked Him to turn toward him. That is a prayer you are allowed to pray.

Loneliness isn’t a sign that God has abandoned you. Jesus knew it from the inside. On the night of His arrest, the disciples He’d poured His life into ran: “Then everyone deserted Him and fled.” But Jesus had said beforehand, “you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” And He made a promise to everyone who follows Him: “And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Always. On the bus, at lunch when you don’t know where to sit, at 2 a.m. when nobody’s online.

A cook in a French monastery in the 1600s, Brother Lawrence, learned to live in that promise. He worked in a hot, noisy kitchen, did jobs nobody noticed, and described himself as a “great awkward fellow who broke everything.” But he learned to talk with God all day long, among the pots and pans, as you’d talk with a friend in the room. He found that God was never far away.

God’s presence doesn’t mean you don’t need people. You do. God made you for friendship. So while you lean on Him, take small brave steps toward others. Sit next to someone else who looks alone. Join something: a church youth group, a choir, a team, a club. Ask a question and actually listen to the answer. Often the people around you are lonelier than they look.

And if loneliness sits on you heavily for a long time, or starts turning into deep sadness or thoughts that you don’t want to be alive, tell a parent or trusted adult right away. You don’t have to carry it by yourself.

Think about it: When do you feel most lonely? What would it look like to talk to God in that exact moment?

Try this: Today, find one person who looks like they’re on the edge, and include them. And at three random moments today, say quietly, “Lord, You’re here.”

Go deeper: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence — a humble monastery cook explains how he learned to keep up a constant, simple conversation with God, even in the middle of ordinary work. Start with chapter 1, “First Conversation.”

Lord, sometimes I feel so alone. Turn to me and be gracious. Thank You that Jesus knew loneliness, and that He promised to be with me always. Help me notice You with me today, and give me courage to reach out to others who feel alone too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.