"Lonely"

I was not afraid of lonely,

In fact it was my friend,

Hardly ever not that way,

Much more than now and then.

‘Cause alone was how I lived my life,

Even when in crowds,

Held silence deep inside me,

Wouldn’t let it get too loud.

And when I think about it,

The times that I was sold,

On promises somebody made,

And their stories to me told,

Then I found out the hard way,

That if you let them in,

They’d find a way to use you,

When you thought they were your friend.

Gun-shy won’t describe it,

The way it makes you feel,

When they run out of love for you,

But you thought it was real.

And then you say you’ll be okay,

Without ‘em anymore,

In fact you count on no one,

‘Cause now you know the score.

And even with the Lord above,

You sometimes do not trust,

Though in your heart you’ve felt His love,

But hedge your bets you must.

Distance and withdrawal,

Be friendly but not close,

Decide it’s just the way it is,

At least that way for most.

Does not mean that you don’t care,

‘Bout those who count on you,

It’s just you keep your guard up,

‘Cause they might hurt you, too.

And that’s why I felt so surprised,

By all that’s taken place,

Everything in my life changed,

When I saw her smiling face.

And she said God spoke to her,

And I believe it’s true,

And what He said we didn’t doubt,

And we both followed through.

And clearly God had sent her,

By that I was amazed,

He wanted me to realize,

For my remaining days,

That loneliness was not His will,

I should not be alone,

And If I would be willing,

A new way would be shone.

The distance and the don’t get close,

And the injuries and pain,

Have come into the light He gives,

Exchanged my loss for gain.

With Him and with her I will go,

A new life I have found,

It’s more like heaven here on earth,

And to His will we’re bound.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him…” (Genesis 2:18, NLT)

This verse is considered part of a second creation narrative. The first is found in Genesis chapter one and merely says that God created human beings in His own image, male and female He created them. But the second chapter is more detailed. It talks about the man being alone, which was not good, and the Lord fashioning the woman from his rib. Both narratives emphasize that God made the man and the woman for each other. The whole notion that male and female would come together to glorify God has a tragic and troubled history. To say the least, there is a great deal of failure, pain and injury in this department. Yet, the ideals of scripture are still the best. And isn’t it wonderful when people find that out together? Not all are called to share life in a married relationship. God has unique plans for all of us. But finding His will in all our relationships is high on the Lord’s priority list, and He knows who and what we need.

Lord, help us to love the way You have loved us, and come together with those You have sent us to glorify You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by JaNeil Anderson, janeilanderson.com. Used by permission. Thanks, JaNeil, and God bless you.