Listen with us as pastor and best-selling author Dr. Michael Youssef introduces this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Have you ever felt alone, like you're the only person in the world who's ever experienced what you're currently going through? We've all felt that way at one point or another, but as you'll see today, these times of loneliness can lead to a deeper and sweeter relationship with the Lord as you experience aloneness with God. Up next, a guide to deepening your love for Christ from Leading the Way's Dr. Michael Youssef. Do remember that Leading the Way is listener-supported. Dr. Youssef and the entire ministry team rely on God's provision through God's people who are blessed by and want to expand the outreaches of Leading the Way.
So learn how to partner with us at 866-626-4356 or visit the ministry website ltw.org. Here now is Dr. Michael Youssef with today's challenging message. Loneliness has been described as the most desolate word in the English language. Loneliness is no respecter of age. Loneliness is no respecter of race. Loneliness is no respecter of social status. Loneliness is no respecter of intelligence. It was Albert Einstein who once said, it is strange to be universally known and yet all to be so lonely. Someone described city life as thousands of people who are lonesome together. A well-known writer once said, growing up I never had a friend to play with me in the park. I never forget the seesaw.
I nearly killed myself running from one end to the other. But you know in fact I think this describes our generation perfectly. It really does. I think most of us would be surprised to even find out what George Gallup has found out. Namely that college students in America are the loneliest people on the face of the earth. It's unbelievable.
I couldn't believe it when I read the statistics and I read the study and I read it again. College life with all of its fraternities, with all of its sororities, with all of its parties, with all its clubs, all of its classes, college students in America are the loneliest people only followed by divorced and single parents. There are times in life when the clouds of anxiety, sadness, fear and loneliness can eclipse the radiance of the Lord Jesus Christ. But instead of the dullness and the dreariness of these clouds, I want you to know how to turn your obstacles into opportunities of loving Jesus more deeply. I want to show you how you can turn these challenges into channels in which you can love Jesus more deeply.
I want to show you this day how these humdrum times in our lives can be turned into holy moments and holy places wherever you may go in order to deepen your love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And today I'm going to begin with loneliness. But you know there are two types of loneliness.
There really are two kinds that are totally different from each other. There is the loneliness that is experienced by those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. But then there is a different kind of loneliness that can be experienced only by those who love the Lord Jesus.
Did you know that? You see the loneliness that is experienced by the person who does not know the love of God, the loneliness that is experienced by a person who does not know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is a loneliness that comes out of empty hearts and empty lives. When loneliness is experienced by those who are living in darkness and sin, it is because the light of Jesus Christ had not shone into their lives.
The kind of loneliness that those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ experience is the loneliness of hopelessness. It is the loneliness of aimlessness. It is the loneliness of meaningless of existence.
It is the loneliness of lack of identity of who they are. This is the kind of loneliness that those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ experience in their life and they will until such a time when they come to surrender their life, when they come to accept the only way for salvation, when they come to accept the only one who can bring them peace and joy. And that is why the loneliness that is experienced by believers is very different from this type of loneliness. The loneliness that is experienced by believers comes from feeling alienated in this world. The loneliness that is experienced by believers comes from knowing and longing to be home with our heavenly Father in heaven.
It is often the loneliness that comes from knowing that we are only sojournous and travelers in this world. It is the loneliness that comes from knowing and experiencing and resisting the relentless temptation of sin and Satan day in and day out. The loneliness that believers experience is the loneliness that comes from seeing that the wicked seems to prosper, that injustice appears to be lauded by society, that greed become acceptable, that the truth seems to be drowning in a sea of falsehood and that the forces of evil appear to be gaining the upper hand. That is the loneliness of the godly.
That is the loneliness of the man of God and the woman of God. The loneliness of the godly comes from the fact that he or she is forever torn between loving Jesus and loving the world. The loneliness of the godly often comes from the fact that he or she is often torn between wanting to please God and be surrounded by instant gratification pressures. The loneliness of the godly often comes from wanting to stand up and be counted and yet fearing the alienation that this brings about. The loneliness of the godly often comes from wanting to fully obey the Lord Jesus Christ but experiencing discouragement from people. The loneliness of the godly often comes from continuing in sin and rationalizing sin when you know that the only way to deal with sin is to repent of it. I want you to hear me right on this one. Rationalizing sin in your mind is going to exasperate your sense of loneliness.
It really will. When Adam and Eve sinned instead of repenting, what were they doing? They were rationalizing in their mind and they're building up this rationalization. In fact you see it once they got confronted by the Lord they said well you know and they already worked the argument in their head. She did it, he did it, the devil did it. I mean you know they already got it worked out in their head, the rationalization. They tried to hide the consequences of sin but they couldn't and thus throughout that period of time they exasperated their loneliness.
Why is this? Because sin is so unnatural to the true Christian. Sin is so alien to the true Christian. Sin is contrary to the desire of the new nature that has been given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore sin that is unrepentant of creates barrier between us and the Lord and exasperates our sense of loneliness.
Hear me right on this one. Sin that is not repented of creates a sense of shame and if you end up covering it with fig leaves you're going to feel that loneliness even if you might be surrounded by a million people. Sin that is unrepentant of causes estrangement between you and God.
Now God hasn't changed but you have. Now today I want us to focus on how you can learn to love the Lord Jesus Christ in times of loneliness. I plead with you, write this down, do not ever waste the times of loneliness in your life and we'll go through those stages. Don't waste them. You say man are you trying to tell me that I can really love Jesus more in the times of loneliness in my life?
Yes. Man when I'm lonely I'm miserable. How can I love Jesus when I'm miserable?
I'm going to show you how. When you're lonely you're free from distractions. When you're lonely you are never alone from God. When you're lonely God is able to get your attention when he couldn't at other times and when you know the presence of God you will know joy like nothing else on the face of the earth. I want you to turn with me to Psalm 142. Psalm 142. I believe the psalmist is trying to teach us five things about how to love the Lord in lonely times. How to deepen your love for the Lord in lonely times. How to strengthen your love for the Lord in lonely times. Psalm 142.
Here are the five things write them down. Psalmist is telling us that in loneliness you can know that God is listening. Verses 1 and 2. Secondly he is saying that in loneliness you can be sure that God understands you.
Verse 3. Thirdly he is saying that in times of loneliness you can be sure that God feels what you feel. And fourthly verse 5 he is saying in times of loneliness you can know that God is your portion. And finally verses 6 and 7 he is saying that in times of loneliness you know that God sets you free to praise him.
Number 1. In loneliness you know that God is listening. You see when you are not lonely you are distracted.
You have things to do, places to go, people to see. And when you are distracted, listen carefully, when you are distracted your prayers become routine. But when you have no one but Jesus.
When you have nowhere to look but up. When you have nowhere to go but the throne room of God. Your prayers are fervent. You are striving in prayer. Your prayer is very personal with the Lord. When you are lonely you are more likely to pour your heart out to the Lord. You are more likely to speak your mind to the Lord.
You are more likely to persist in faith. Something you may never do if you are not lonely. I thank God for the times of loneliness. I really do.
I think they are wonderful times. The psalmist said I put out my complaint and I declare my trouble to him. God wants you to pester him.
Did you hear that? God wants you to pester him. God wants you to pour your heart out to him. God wants you to bear your soul to him. God wants you to beat down his door. God wants you to express your desperation for him. He wants you to express your desperation to him.
Why? Because when he answers you, you are going to love him more. In loneliness you know God is listening. Secondly, in loneliness you know God understands you. Verse 3.
When my spirit overwhelmed within me, you know me through and through. Do you know where David was when he wrote this psalm? Is it in your Bible?
I think some Bibles have them. Some Bibles tell you where he was at the time when he was writing this psalm. He was in a cave, lonely, in a cave. But what happened to David when he was 16?
Do you remember? He was anointed by God's man, Samuel. He has been set aside for a mighty work of God.
In fact, you know what? I believe this type of thing, this kind of condition is exactly a portrait of all Christians. God called you to himself and when he called you to himself, he promised you forgiveness. He promised you guidance. He promised you protection.
He promised you eternal life with him. But sin comes in and sin brings all its doubt and fear and anxiety and loneliness. And when sin comes in, it places us in a lonely cave.
It really does. What is God doing when sin is placing you and is placing me in a lonely cave? God is waiting for you.
Waiting for what? He's waiting for you to repent of that sin. He's waiting for you to turn to him. He's waiting for you to walk closely with him again. He's waiting for you to get to know him better. He is waiting for you to experience his loving mercy afresh and you.
One more time. He's waiting for you to respond back to his loving you by loving him. See, God knows where you are.
There's no use pretending. See, in loneliness, you know God is listening. In loneliness, you know God understands you. In loneliness, thirdly, God feels what you feel.
Look at verse 4. He said, I look to my right and I see no one is concerned for me and I have no refuge, no way out. You know the one thing that you will experience when you go through periods of loneliness in your life? You're going to feel that you are the only one who have ever experienced what you are experiencing right now. Nobody understands me. Nobody can comprehend where I am.
Nobody cares. Right? That's natural. Don't feel bad about it. Elijah felt that way. David felt that way here. Paul when he was in Rome felt that way. If you read biographies of all the great men of God of yesteryear, they felt that way. Spurgeon, you read his biographies where the great men are one of my great heroes. Charles Spurgeon felt desperate at the time that nobody understands what he's going through.
I want you to hear me right on this one. There's only one who truly stood alone. Only one who truly stood alone. Who experienced what you and I and no human being on the face of the earth will ever experience. It is Jesus. When you got isolated from God the Father because he was carrying your sin, that something has never happened since eternity.
You and I will never understand that. He was all alone at the cross. He was all alone at Caiaphas' house. He was all alone and that is why he can understand you. You can never say, oh God you don't understand what I'm going through. Oh yes he does. His son been through it. In fact, your most desperate loneliness pales in approximation to the loneliness that he went through. Why did David say I look to the right? You see, in the court system of his day, an advocate, a defender always sat on the right hand side of the accused. And David was looking for a human advocate. He was looking for a human defender and there's no one there. He can't find any.
In fact it is not an accident that Jesus sits at the right hand of God. What is he doing? He's interceding for you. He is giving a good word for you. He's advocating on your behalf.
He is defending you to the Father. And that is why in the times of loneliness when you cannot find earthly advocate, you know you have your heavenly advocate. In loneliness you know God is listening. In loneliness you know that God understands you. In loneliness you know that God feels what you feel.
Fourthly, in loneliness you know God as your portion. Actually that's the wrong word. Translation. So when you have some, you know, if you're dividing a pie or something or a pile of money, whatever it is, you know, you say here's your portion and here's your portion, here's your portion. That's really what I think. This is your lot and this is your, you know, it belongs to you.
No, no, no. The word actually means the highest prized possession. That's what it means. Write it in your Bible. Next to the word portion put the highest prized possession. And David is saying the Lord is my highest prized possession. You know what the deal is? I'm going to tell you what the deal is.
The deal is you can only comprehend this. You can only appreciate the Lord as your highest prized possession in times of loneliness. That's the only time. And that is why it is a time for you to love the Lord more deeply. You know when you are betrayed by a friend, when your integrity is questioned, when your integrity is assaulted falsely, when your dearest and nearest reject you, only then will you really understand the value of your prized possession.
And when you truly appreciate and value your prized possession, you will love Him deeply. In loneliness you know that God is listening. In loneliness you know that God understands you. In loneliness you know that God feels what you feel. In loneliness you know that God to be your portion. Finally, verses 6 and 7 of Psalm 142, in loneliness God sets you free to praise Him. David said bring my soul out of trouble so that I might give thanks to your name. A lot of people say get my soul out of trouble and once he does, they forget about him.
But I want you to hear me right on this one. When you know how to praise God in the cave of your loneliness, He will turn it into a castle. When you know how to praise God in the midst of the prison of your loneliness, He will turn it into a palace. When you know how to praise God in the midst of your lonely nights, He will turn those into midday sun.
Please, please let me repeat what I said earlier. Do not waste the lonely times in your life. Those times of loneliness are designed to draw you closer to Jesus so that you might love Him more.
I want to give you an example as I conclude. Joseph Scriver had been engaged to a woman whom he loved so deeply. But tragedy struck and the night before the wedding, she was in a boat that capsized and she drowned and died. In hopes of getting over his pain which he never got over it for the rest of his life, in hopes to get over his grief which he never got over for the rest of his life, he left his home in Ireland and he immigrated to Canada. And in Canada he taught school. He was a tutor. But he did something else. He literally lived very simply on a small portion of his income and he gave all his money, he gave all his strength to the destitute.
He even gave his own clothes. And he was considered by many including Christians to be eccentric. But in reality he allowed his loneliness, he allowed his grief, he allowed his pain to draw him closer to the Lord so that he might love him with all of his being. You know when somebody calls you eccentric because you love Jesus with all your being? Take that as a compliment.
It really is. In fact in his loneliness Joseph Scriver became so close to the Lord that he knew him as his dearest and best and most trusted friend. And one day he wanted to express his love for the Lord and he would write and then he tossed the stuff out.
He would write and it's not good enough. He wanted to express his love for Jesus as his best friend. Finally he came up with the following paragraph. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
If you'd like to talk with someone, perhaps about inviting hope into where loneliness has moved into your life, start that conversation with the leading the way pastor or counselor at ltw.org slash Jesus. What would Jesus say to the church today? As darkness rises and faith is tested, his words to the seven churches in Revelation echo through time, calling us back to him. Earthly dictators and rulers may want to persecute the church, but don't ever, ever, ever forget that Jesus is the king of all kings.
He and he alone is the holder of the title deeds of the universe that he and he alone has a name that's above every name. In his new book, God's Final Call, Dr. Michael Youssef unveils the urgent message of Revelation, a call to reclaim our first love. Learn how to stand firm for Christ against opposition, compromise and cultural pressure. With God's Final Call, discover how to confidently walk through the open doors God places before you. Get your copy of God's Final Call today. The number to call to learn more 866-626-4356 or online ltw.org. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.
