Lonely Jesus: Lonely You

John 16:32
³² “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me."

Something about this verse caught my attention.  I think it was the reality of Jesus' words as he looked ahead at the suffering which he was about to take on.  


When looking at the passion of Christ, we tend to focus on the physical suffering that he went through, so much so that we forget the emotional journey that He experienced.  But the emotional turmoil that He took on is an important reality to consider- because there is a component to it that many of us go through each and every single day: 


Loneliness.

Jesus understood it.  He not only understood it, he experienced it.  He knew the feeling of being left by his dearest friends.  He felt the pain of being betrayed by the ones He loved.  He lived the reality of being disowned and rejected, and of being left alone.  

The reality of living as a man exposed Jesus to the brokenness of humanity...and in turn, the brokenness of the people He loved the most.  People let Him down...


Maybe you can relate.  Maybe you, too, understand the sting of rejection and the pain of abandonment.  Maybe the word loneliness holds a place in your life that you never imagined it could.  Find comfort in two things.


First, find comfort in the truth that the God of all creation allowed Himself to go through what you are going through.  Find comfort in knowing that when you are hurting, alone, and afraid- he has been there too.  He gets it.  He hurts with you because He has felt what you feel.


Second, find comfort in knowing that when everyone and everything fails and you find yourself all alone...you are not.  You will never be.  To the depth that you are able to feel loneliness, He is able to give you companionship.  You are not alone, because your Father God is right by your side.  You may not always feel it, and so it may be hard to believe it, but you must never allow your feelings to dictate your reality.  


"And remember that I am always with you until the end of time."


Reflect on this truth.  Allow it to sink into your heart.  And take heart in the truth that you are never, ever alone.