Author: Tim Challies

This week the blog is sponsored by Moody Publishers and is written by Steve DeWitt. The story of human loneliness has its roots in the character of God and God’s purpose in creating us.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. (Gen. 1:27–28) The roots of our present-day experience of loneliness are all found right here. We were made in the likeness of a relational, communicating, and triune God. His social nature is hardwired into our nature. We were designed for relational fulfillment vertically with God and horizontally with other humans. Like God, these relationships are fulfilling by design to the extent that they are harmonious. God’s threeness is the paradigm for our social needs, and His oneness is the paradigm for human relationships marked by love and peace. You know, like the old song says: “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Loneliness is first theological before it is existential. Loneliness isn’t the opposite ofrelational fulfillment. It is the absence of it. Loneliness is an experiential void and vacuum. Its pain is a backhanded compliment to the pleasure of what God originally designed. We are on a crucial truth that I urge you to consider carefully. I know this is hard, as I have had seasons where I was drowning in loneliness. Ask God to renew your mind so that you may think differently about your loneliness. Our feelings generally flow from our…See AlsoFree Stuff Fridays (Moody Publishers)Free Stuff Fridays (Zondervan Reflective)Confronting the Lies when Suffering Leaves You Lonely