Who is lonel

1. LONELINESS
“Alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide, wide sea:
And never a saint takes pity
On my soul in agony.”
Ancient Mariner

2. Loneliness
 Milton - “Loneliness is the first thing that God's
eye named not good.”
 Genesis 2:18a And the Lord God said, "It is not
good that man should be alone”

3. Loneliness - Job
 Job felt abandoned – Job 19:14-19
 14 My relatives have failed, And my close
friends have forgotten me 15 Those who dwell
in my house, and my maidservants Count me
as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight. 16 I
call my servant, but he gives no answer; I beg
him with my mouth. 17 My breath is offensive to
my wife, And I am repulsive to the children of
my own body. 18 Even young children despise
me; I arise, and they speak against me. 19 All
my close friends abhor me, And those whom I
love have turned against me.

4. Loneliness - Elijah
 Elijah felt all alone in the world
 1 Kings 19:9-10 9 And there he went into a
cave, and spent the night in that place; and
behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and
He said to him, "What are you doing here,
Elijah?" 10 So he said, "I have been very
zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the
children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant,
torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets
with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to
take my life."

5. Loneliness - Jeremiah
 Jeremiah fled to Egypt in fear of his life
 Jeremiah 9:1-4 1 Oh, that my head were waters, And my
eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people! 2 Oh, that I had
in the wilderness A lodging place for travelers; That I might
leave my people, And go from them! For they are all
adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. 3 "And like
their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not
valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil
to evil, And they do not know Me," says the Lord. 4
"Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any
brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every
neighbor will walk with slanderers.

6. WHO is Lonely?
 All of us at some time in our lives.
 Death, divorce, separation from family, lack of
communication
 Those who have been mistreated (abused,
raped, assaulted)
 Those not willing to trust others will feel alone
 23 million US adults live alone
 In America 22% ate alone last night

7. WHO is Lonely?
 It hits all of us at times
 Children – parents work, divorced, abandoned
 Teens – not kids, not adults, adolescents are
often very lonely
 College – separation from parents, family,
friends
 Newly married – new relationships must be
formed
 Parents – empty nest
 Seniors – loss of friends, family, spouse

8. What effects can loneliness have?
 Withdraw – We are lonely, we shut out the
world, become depressed – It becomes a
vicious cycle
 Overactive – To compensate we take on every
activity we can to stay busy, feel appreciated,
feel needed, feel in contact with others
 Harmful Habits – Alcohol, drugs, overeating

9. How can we cope?
 Decide to overcome – This is a battle that
must be fought from the inside
 Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must
himself be friendly, But there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.

10. How can we cope?
 Take some action – outside your comfort zone
 Pick up the phone and call someone
 Write a letter to a long lost friend
 Go see a family from church
 Have a “party” at your home
 Turn your “alone” time into solitude
 Study, Pray, Read your Bible
 Write, Play piano, Read spiritual magazines

11. Conclusion
 Loneliness can be a dragon that kills our joy,
purpose, contentment
 We must learn to be comfortable around
ourselves
 We must look to the needs of others
 Don't focus on self
 Find a need a fill it
 Find a hurt and heal it