"Only" is a Very Lonely Word

I am not certain that I really know what it is to be lonely. Some people are lonely because they are truly alone. They have no relatives, no friends and no activities that cause them to interact in a meaningful way with others. Others can be in a crowd and still feel as if they are alone. Still others are trapped inside of their minds.

Some people actually prefer to be alone, a hermit of sorts. We cannot begin to name all the situations that would cause us to purposely or not have us spiral into our "shells" of loneliness. I wonder if our society is perpetuating a sort of loneliness as we rivet our attention to our electronic devices more than to the people around us. How can this really affect our soul?

I Kings 18 ff tells of the prophet Elijah and his dramatic encounter with the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the grove who ate at Jezebel's table. After such a tremendous victory, chapter 19 states that Elijah ran from Jezebel and sat under a juniper tree and wished to die. Pleading with the Lord, he said that he only was left of those who were jealous to do the work of the Lord and now feared for his own life.

I love God's answer to Elijah, (1 Kings 19:18 (KJV) Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. How about that for an answer when you're feeling alone? A group of 7000 to 1 is pretty good. You are never alone. Hebrews 13:5 gives us the assurance that God will never leave you nor forsake you. You are not alone; No! NEVER ALONE.