Loneliness is a big problem today. We can still experience loneliness even if we live in large cities surrounded by people, or even if we use social media to connect with people from all over the globe. Not only can we still be lonely with social media and large communities, we might experience loneliness because of them. Being around people and connecting with people through an electronic device is not the same as face-to-face interaction or one-on-one communication.
When we are depressed, it is common for us not to want to be around other people. Like Elijah, we might want to isolate ourselves in a cave for forty days, but part of God’s solution was sending Elijah out with a mission to be in contact with other people.
Once, before my wife and I met, she battled with depression. She found that part of her solution included getting involved with a local congregation, speaking with the minister and his wife, and getting involved in helping people who were in need. This gave her social interaction and gave her a purpose and a mission. It moved the focus off of herself to those whom she could be helping and placed her in a setting where she could be ministered to. As she ministered to others, she prayed for God to go before her and use her. As she saw the needs of others, it caused her to pray more than usual and to pray more for others than about her own needs. Th ...
