The Burden of Loneliness - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

Refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul.
Psalm 142:4

The Burden of Loneliness
A fraud expert interviewed a convicted scam artist who targeted people seeking friendships online. The scammer would profess friendly or romantic intentions, gain someone's confidence, then obtain access to bank accounts or commit some other fraud. The question was asked, "How many of the people you targeted were lonely?" The scammer replied, "Every single one of them."

Loneliness can be a great burden. Even if it does not lead to financial deception, it can deeply affect our emotional and spiritual state. God has designed us for relationships. At creation He declared it was not good for Man to be alone. Although the context was marriage, the principle is broadly true. Some of the most anguished expressions in the Bible come from the lips of those who felt alone, deserted by family and friends. In Psalm 142, David was in a cave with several hundred people (cf. 1 Sam. 22), yet he felt abandoned, trapped in an emotional prison (v. 7), and vulnerable to doubts.

We must be sensitive to this. If we notice that a brother or sister seems lonely, the many New Testament one anothers (which are always called for) should be practiced all the more. These are not primarily congregational events but personal care, reaching the dark corners of a lonely heart.

If we ourselves are lonely, one biblical antidote is to do something for others. Elijah's despair only increased when he was alone, but God steadied him by sending him to anoint Elisha (1 Ki. 19). Remember too that Jesus Himself knows what loneliness is. When He sought comfort, His friends first took little notice of His grief, then abandoned Him altogether. He understands. The One who was once alone like a sparrow on a housetop is also the One of whom Paul testified, "All forsook me but the Lord stood with me" (2 Tim. 4:16-17).

Stephen Campbell