A Prayer Against Loneliness

Loneliness is an emotion one feels whenever one’s social interaction expectations are unmet. These expectations are not inherently wrong. For example, if you are in a church community and no one remembers you at all, or the people act as if you don’t exist, surely you would feel lonely. After all, one of the expectations you have is that you are a community of brothers and sisters in Christ who are to walk the journey of faith together. Even a person whom people constantly surround may feel lonely. People may only want to have fun with that person but may not be around when that person is going through difficult times.

Father in heaven, You are always with me and meet my emotional needs. People may fail, but You never fail. You are faithful, and I know I can always count on You being there for me, walking with me every step. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What Does the Bible Say About Loneliness?

Loneliness is an emotion that is not foreign to the Bible. In (Psalm 25:16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.), we see that David cries out to God about his loneliness and affliction and turns to Him for comfort and grace. Psalm 102:7 also shows us the loneliness of the Psalmist, using the description of a lonely bird. Another example is shown in Psalm 88:18, where the Psalmist talks about being abandoned or left by his friends. Even our Lord Jesus Christ is not a stranger to loneliness. In (Mark 14:50 And they all forsook him, and fled.), when His time came to be arrested, the verse tells us that His followers left Him and fled. This evokes a feeling of loneliness and betrayal. Jesus loved and ministered to His disciples, yet they repaid Him by leaving Him when things turned south.

However, that is also a truth we can take comfort in. We can rest assured that Christ, our High Priest, truly understands what it means to be in our shoes and experience loneliness, for He experienced it Himself. In Hebrews 4:15-16, it is written that Christ, our High Priest, can sympathize with our weaknesses. Because of that, we can also confidently approach God’s throne of grace and ask Him for the grace and mercy we require in times of need, such as the loneliness we are experiencing.

Also, the Bible offers us other scriptures that tell us we are never alone in Christ. In Christ, God is always with us. In Isaiah 41:10, the passage tells us that we need not fear as we walk in our Christian life, which is our context, for God is always with us and is the One who strengthens us. God is inherently with us wherever we go, for He is omnipresent. Psalm 139:7-12 teaches us this. David asks God where he shall flee from His presence. In the heavens, God is there. Even in Sheol, He is also there. God is still there where the sun rises, and even the light cannot outrun His presence. Even if he goes to where the sea lies, God is still there. The point is that God is there wherever we go. Therefore, you can rest assured that He is with you always.

How Do We Pray a Prayer Against Loneliness?

We pray against loneliness by confessing and remembering through prayers that God is always with us and that He is the One who soothes our hearts. We can also ponder upon Scriptures that tell us how Christ is our Shepherd and High Priest who is compassionate upon us. Such examples of these verses are the ones we have given above. Of course, there are other verses, like the well-known (Psalm 34:18  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.), which tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

You can take those comforting verses about who God or Christ is for us in times of loneliness and confess them over your feelings of loneliness.

Father in heaven, I thank You because I am not lonely and alone, for Your presence always goes with me. I can never outrun Your presence in my life. Wherever I go, You are there. Therefore, I know that in times of loneliness, You are also there. Thank You, Jesus, for You are my shepherd who looks at me with compassion and the One who gently carries me in Your arms. You know what I am going through and know how to soothe my pains. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

While loneliness results from our unmet needs regarding our social interaction with other people, we must remember that our life is not found in people but in Christ alone. In (John 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.), it is written that Christ is the life of all men. Also, God is our ultimate good and satisfaction from whom all things come.