Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:11-12

Often in our society, it can be very easy to stay connected with those around us. Through social media, texting, calling, or video calling, we can stay in touch with those who are both close and far. Even with all of that access to friends and family, it is often easy to still feel alone and isolated. It’s common for some people to be in a crowd of people and still feel completely alone. This feeling of separation that can come to those who are surrounded by loved ones can cause depression, frustration, and confusion. It’s all too easy to slip into a place where you feel that there is no one there for you. 

While the passages above come from a context of someone crying out to God in the midst of their sin and guilt, they also bring with them the cry of those experiencing feelings of isolation. In times of loneliness, the greatest thing that we can do is cry out to the one who promised that he will be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). This should be the cry of the lonely and downcast person. Instead of looking to others in our time of sadness, we should cry out to God. Ask Him to bring back the joy that we found in the midst of the salvation he provided through His Son, Jesus. We should beg for a spirit that is willing to find joy not just in friends or family, but to Him who saved us. 

Often, life can be difficult and God never promises that he will take away feelings of depression or that hardships will never come. In fact, the Bible promises the opposite. Hardships will come, sadness will exist, and we will suffer the effects of sin in our lives. But the promise of God is that we will never have to go through that alone. We never have to face loneliness, depression, anxiety, frustration, or sadness by ourselves. For even if the world forgets about us, he will always be there. 

This week, if you are struggling with depression, sadness, loneliness, or anything else, cry out to God for he will never leave you or forsake you.