Finding His Presence in
Times of Loneliness
Words from Jesus
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“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”—Psalm 34:18–191
Your loneliness has drawn you close to My heart. Just as the shepherd must hold in his arms the little lamb whose leg has been broken, so I hold you close to My heart in My arms. So do not fear loneliness, but rather seek My face during those times. As you stay close to Me and let Me carry you in My arms, your spirit partakes of My Spirit. As your heart beats close to My heart, you’re strengthened with My love. My Spirit rubs off on you, and you are strengthened by My strength.
This time will not last forever; take advantage of the time to draw close to Me, to find satisfaction in Me, to trust Me, to lean on Me, to be open and honest with Me. Create a vacuum in your heart that I may fill to overflowing. Let My Spirit fill you and cause your face to shine.
Use this time to draw closer to Me than ever before. Spend this time sitting quietly and calmly with My Word, letting My Word fill you, strengthen you, and bless you. Take time in My presence. Come to Me and bathe in My sunlight. Splash in the shower of My love, which I will pour out on you! Drink deeply of the living waters of My Word and My Spirit, for I have promised to restore your soul.2
Fill your emptiness with My presence3
When the patriarch Jacob was in a barren place—far from his family—he was quite conscious of his isolation. However, I poured out My Presence upon him, in the form of a glorious dream. When Jacob awoke, he responded, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”4
It is possible to feel isolated even when you are with other people, because of the privacy of your thoughts and unspoken needs. The only thing that can adequately fill the gaps of isolation is awareness of My abiding Presence. Not only am I constantly with you, but I am also within you in the inner recesses of your heart and mind. My knowledge of you is picture-perfect, and it is framed in unconditional love.
Let feelings of loneliness remind you of your need to seek My face. Come to Me with your ever-so-human emptiness, and My divine Presence will fill you with Life to the full!5
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief6
I know what it is to feel sorrow. I know what it is to feel pain, to feel rejection, to have those you love turn their back on you. I know what it is to have a broken heart. I died of a broken heart—broken for the lost, for the destitute, for the sins of the world. I died for you. I died to take your sorrow, your punishment, and your pain upon Myself, so that you would no longer need to carry the weights and the burdens upon your frail shoulders.
By dying for you, I gave birth to eternal life with Me. I did not end all the trying times and the sufferings, the broken hearts, but I created a way of escape. I offered an open invitation to take hold of My strong hand and let it lift you up when you feel too weak to get up again.
Although the earth life is a life of brokenness, in My kingdom there will be eternal joy, eternal bliss in knowing that I am ever present. And in this earth life, no matter how difficult the circumstances, I will always lift up those who are cast down, soothe the wounds, mend the broken hearts, and restore hope.
I am the mender of broken hearts, the soother of pain, the companion of the lonely, and I wish to be present in your heart and life unreservedly and forever. My joy and peace and blessings are just as real as any feelings of loneliness or despair, and you can choose to dwell in the eternal realities of the Spirit.
I don’t always change circumstances; sometimes I allow these to change the people in those circumstances. You can be an overcomer no matter what you are experiencing; you can rise above situations and circumstances, and trust to see the good in even the most difficult of circumstances.
Let Me be your first love7
I understand your loneliness, and not one tear that you shed goes unnoticed by Me. I’ve never once shut My eyes toward you. My love for you is unending, unchanging, steadfast. I see your heart’s desire for companionship to fill those empty places in your heart. You desire a supporting hand to be there for you and to help you up when you feel low.
Even in the depths of loneliness, I can fill your heart and life with My peace that surpasses your understanding; joy unspeakable and hope everlasting.
I understand your frustrations, your longings, and your heartcries. You want to feel fulfilled, to feel loved completely for what you are, unconditionally. You want to be able to take your every thought, your every frustration, your every desire to someone, and have them understand and love you anyway. You want someone that you can pour out to and that will help give you the solution, someone who will say, “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’m here with you and we’ll go through this together.”
I understand how that feels. I came to earth, I took on human form, and I too experienced feelings of loneliness. I understand those feelings. And because I understand and I know the pain, the emptiness, the hollowness, and the aching, I long to fill it. I long to take it away and replace it with love and fulfillment and joy of the Spirit. Let Me be your first love, just as you are My precious love for whom I gave My life.
Give, and it will be given to you8
I know your each and every need, and I will fulfill them, but not always in the way in which you expect. I know best, for I can see the overall picture and the many different aspects and angles of the situation which you cannot. I know the future. So trust Me, dear one, for that which you need and that which you desire, for I know best.
Give, and it shall be given unto you—let this be your motto and motivation. Seek to give My loving kindness to others. Seek out the lonely hearts, the souls who are in need, as you are in need. I will pour forth abundantly to you if you will seek to give of yourself and your friendship and love to others and trust Me for your needs. Give to others, not thinking of yourself and your needs, and I will care for you and your needs, and bless you and supply for you.
Put all these things—your needs and your desires—into My hands, and leave them there. Seek to love Me with all your heart, and freely give of what you have received from Me. Give and pour forth and it will be given to you. Seek out the lonely, the needy, and I will bless you and fill you with My love and meet your every need.
I am a caring Husband, and your great provider, and I will not fail to provide and care for you.
Originally published August 1998, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished October 2017. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by John Listen.
1 NLT.
2 Psalm 23:3.
3 Isaiah 61:3.
4 Genesis 28:16 NIV.
5 Sarah Young, Dear Jesus (Thomas Nelson, 2007).
6 Isaiah 53:3.
7 Matthew 6:33.
8 Luke 6:38.
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