What Does God Say to Lonely People?

[What Does God Say to Lonely People?]( Current Teaching Series [Leaving a Lasting Legacy]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [What Does God Say to Lonely People?]( By Rick Warren — 06/30/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Isaiah 53:3 (NIV) If you woke up feeling lonely this morning, God has something to say to you: “I understand exactly how you feel.” God is with you during this difficult season. If you think Jesus doesn’t understand loneliness, you’re wrong. Jesus was despised and rejected by the people he created. He experienced loneliness throughout his entire life. During his final hours, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. This was an emotional time for him. He knew the very next day he would be crucified on the cross, separated from his Father. Since Jesus had a need for human companionship, he took his three best friends—Peter, James, and John—with him into the garden. He said to them, “I’m very sad . . . Stay here and keep alert with me” (Matthew 26:38 CEB). What did they do? They fell asleep! Jesus came back and said, “Couldn’t you stay alert one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40 CEB). Jesus must have felt so lonely in that moment. The next day, he was nailed to a cross, where he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 GW). Since Jesus was carrying the sins of the world, the Father couldn’t look at sin—at him. He was truly alone. Jesus knows what it’s like to feel lonely. And he wants to relieve your loneliness. He cares about you and wants to help you. Maybe loneliness isn’t an issue for you today. However, you might be surprised by who the lonely people around you are. Loneliness doesn’t care whether you’re beautiful, wealthy, successful, or popular. Even married people can be lonely; some couples never share any true intimacy, closeness, and fellowship. The pandemic has made it clear that no one is immune to loneliness. Eventually, each one of us experiences it. If you’re lonely today, Jesus understands and he wants to give you relief. The ultimate way that Jesus can relieve your loneliness is by making you part of his family. Through his own lonely death and then his Resurrection, Jesus made it possible for you to belong to God’s family. When you’re part of God’s family, you still may face seasons when you feel lonely. But you will never truly be alone again. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( ?utm_source=ActiveCampaignamp;utm_medium=emailamp;utm_content=What+Does+God+Say+to+Lonely+People%3Famp;utm_campaign=Daily+Hope+-+English+RSS+Feed+-+HTML+-+Leaving+a+Lasting+Legacy+-+06%2F14%2F2021&a=1000855218&account=dailyhope%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&email=yJRzsaxa%2Btm%2FpJ2Cpy9L%2B3s3PQGmvHXjyw%2Fse0%2FzfL0%3D&s=804261a56dc1983865967af48bcba05f&i=994A1155A2A43950) Talk It Over - What seasons of your life have been lonely? What has helped to relieve your loneliness? - What does it mean to you to know that Jesus experienced loneliness? - If you’re a Christian, how does being part of God’s family help relieve your loneliness? Are you ready to join God’s family? Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you’ll never be lonely again. But it does mean that you’ll never really be alone. You’ll be part of God’s family forever. If you’re ready to commit your life to Jesus, then pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your family forever and into your eternal home in heaven one day. “I confess my sin, and I believe that you are God, my Savior. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I’m turning every part of my life over to you. I want to follow you and do what you tell me to do. “Jesus, I am grateful for your love and your sacrifice that makes it possible for me to join you in heaven. I know I don’t deserve it. And I thank you that I don’t have to earn or work for my salvation, because I know that is impossible. I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I humbly commit my life to you, and I ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [What Does God Say to Lonely People?]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the Re-Energize Your Life Guided Experience Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( Now more than ever, people are tired, stressed, and searching for a hope that won’t disappoint or disappear when life gets real. That’s why we’re excited to share that your gift before June 30 will be DOUBLED thanks to a $50,000 Matching Grant to help reach more people with the certain hope of Jesus! That means your gift today will go even further in helping take Daily Hope to more hurting and broken people all over the world. 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