Joel M Bradshaw

9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”–Joshua 1

I journey with people who feel lonely. Most of them are unmarried individuals who live by themselves. The quarantine of 2020 only made things worse for them, as much of society stayed at home. What was a joy for my kids having mommy and daddy at home all the time was not a joy for these friends of mine. Their depression deepened. Their anxiety skyrocketed. Their loneliness weighed heavier.

I would encourage them with verses like today’s. No, these people were not Joshua, but they were each an individual loved by God and called by God to be faithful as God led them in their situation. And this is something we each can take from this verse. When God calls you, he is with you. In Isaiah, God would one day make a similar promise.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.–Isaiah 41:10

Matthew closed his Gospel with these comforting words of Jesus…

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.–Matthew 28:20

God had called Joshua to a seemingly impossible task. He was to take over for the great Moses and lead the people into the Promised Land. Joshua no doubt faced fears and anxieties as he was given this responsibility. That’s why God instructed him as he did. Joshua was to take courage because the very God who called him was indeed with him. He was never alone.

The Christian who feels lonely needs to remember that he or she is in a relationship with God. I struggled with loneliness and depression for years. I wish I had someone reminding me of this. I instead wallowed in my feelings and made choices with my heart that I today regret. I told myself stories that I had no hope and that I would never get over my loneliness. Those stories made my depression worse. I could have reminded myself that God has called me to be faithful. That he is with me on my journey and that God knows what I am feeling. My focus could and should have been on the God who was with me instead of the fact that I felt alone.

Joshua needed to hear it, I needed to hear it, and possibly so do you. You might feel lonely, but if you are called by God, you are never alone. This needs to be your story.–JMB