"When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who know my way" (Ps. 142:3).
During times of exclusion from the joys of family, friends, and loved ones, loneliness can overshadow even those with deep faith. Even David struggled with this subtle tormenter. Psalm 142 describes one such time when he felt cut off from everything comforting and familiar, when foes surrounded him and no one cared about him. What did David do to ease his troubled soul and ward off the loneliness that threatened him? He wisely turned to the only One who could ease his mind and comfort his lonely soul.
David found comfort in God. Many times David risked his life because of the call of the Lord, and every time God sustained him and delivered him. God remained faithful, and His goodness was manifested throughout David’s life. He knew that even during those times when no one seemed concerned about his welfare and when he found enemies, not friends, around every corner, God would be there. Instead of becoming perplexed by anxiety, David prayed to God. He told Him of his troubles and his fears: “I cry aloud to the LORD … I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble” (vv. 1–2 NIV). Do you pray to God when your spirit is troubled? Do you find comfort in Him? If you don’t maybe you don’t really believe He will deliver you from loneliness. Maybe you don’t think He is able to fill the emptiness of your life. Maybe you prefer to find comfort in earthly things, which only leave you empty in the end, because you don’t think Christ is sufficient for all your needs.
David didn’t think this way—God was everything to him, and he maintained a faith that God would comfort him and keep His promise never to leave him. David declared that God was his “portion in the land of the living” (v. 5)—God and only God filled his life and his soul. So when he was cut off from his friends and his home, surrounded by enemies, when there was nothing in this world to give him comfort, he did not despair. If God is not first in your life, even when life is easy, you will not find comfort in Him when life is hard. No matter what your circumstance, God must be sufficient. That way, when everything else is gone, you will not lose heart because your portion is complete in the Lord.
When you feel lonely, do you brood about it? Do you wallow in self-pity and complain to others? Or do you go to the Lord and tell Him your fears and concerns? He is sufficient to sustain you even through the lonely times. This weekend consider what it means to have God as your portion in the land of the living.
