This is the first post in my series dealing with God and mental health. As someone who has struggled with various issues ranging from loneliness to anxiety, I know that it is hard at times to reconcile where God is when you feel unheard and unknown. The loneliness I address in this post is not singleness, it is that ache of feeling misunderstood, as though no one truly knows you or cares to know you fully. This loneliness comes with putting on a false smile and powering through when you feel like you have no value.
So, how can God allow for such a low state of mind? Why would God let His people feel this way? And these thoughts are exactly what the enemy uses to keep you feeling down and depressed. It’s our flesh that puts these negative thoughts in our heads, not God. Let me tell you one thing that it took me quite a while to learn: feelings lie. Just because you feel a certain way doesn’t mean it’s true. Of course, your feelings are valid but emotion and acting on emotion has led countless people astray. There are times I feel lonely even though I know it’s not true. Do you want to know how I know? No, it’s not because I’m in a room full of people, I understand completely that you don’t have to be alone to be lonely. I know it’s untrue because I know that the word of God is true. And God’s Word tells me that He is always with me even until the end of time.
Jesus Himself tells us that He will always be with us, even until the end. The Lord doesn’t go back on His Word. We know that Jesus no longer walks on Earth but He is a part of the triune God and the Holy Spirit came down after He ascended. And guess what? That same Spirit that was in Christ is also in us, in our hearts and minds, guiding us and convicting us so that we may lead righteous lives. Secondly, the Spirit is with us, a good friend who never leaves out side and provides us with wise counsel. Lastly, the Spirit is upon us, just like He was upon Christ (John 1:32) that we may share the gospel and our testimony with others, fulfilling the Great Commission to disciple others. Once you have the Spirit, once you’ve accepted Christ, He promsises to always be there and the Lord doesn’t lie.
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19 KJV)
The Father doesn’t promise that we’ll never feel lonely but He makes it clear that we’re never alone.
Another aspect of loneliness is the dread of feeling unknown, like no one truly knows you or understands you worth as a person. You may feel like you are only as good as what you achieve or what you do for other people or how you look. None of that is true. None of it. You are so much more than that. You are chosen, chosen specifically by the Creator of All Things. Your worth isn’t in what you do and you don’t have to prove yourself to Him or beg Him to get to know you, for a relationship. The Lord already knows you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your thoughts, He knows what you like and don’t like, what makes you laugh and what makes you cry, your dreams and goals, your insecurities and regrets. The Lord knows everything about you, even those things you don’t talk about: your fears and the worries that keep you up at night. The Father knows even the things you wish He didn’t. He knows you completely, always did and still chose you!
So, when you feel like no one knows you or understands you, remember that God does. He knows you and loves you in spite of what you do, how you look or the way you speak. He knows you, you aren’t alone.
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19 KJV)
Be blessed and stay encouraged. Remember, never focus on how you may stumble or fall, what matters most is that when you rise, you rise holy!
