Bible Verse: “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 22:1-31
Imagine this:
You and an investor run a small business, and you have spent the last three years pouring everything you have into your employees. You have laughed with them, eaten with them, cried with them, and journeyed with them. You have invested your time, your energy, your knowledge, and your patience into them.
Then, one day, a larger company comes by and offers them something bigger, something better. By the end of the day, all your employees have emptied their desks, packed their boxes, and jumped ship.
Then, to add to it all, you try to call your investor, but he doesn’t answer.
You have no business, nowhere to go, and no one to talk to.
Talk about lonely.
But isn’t that what Jesus experienced?
Three years investing in His disciples.
Only to have them abandon Him when He needed them most.
Then, when He cried out to His Father, His words echoed out to silence.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
Jesus knew loneliness. But in it, He still didn’t make it about Himself but rather pointed us to something bigger.
The words of Matthew 27:46 are quoted from Psalm 22, where David writes about his own loneliness in verses one and two, but then he includes a significant word in verse three:
“Yet…”
“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One…” (Psalm 22:3, NIV, italics added).
Like Jesus, David knew loneliness. Yet he also knew he wasn’t alone. God was with him.
In your loneliness, you need to remember three things:
- You are not alone.
- Jesus understands.
- God is with you.
So, hang on to Him, reach out to someone else, and don’t allow loneliness to hold power in your life.
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, that You know and understand loneliness. Help me to reach out to You when I feel lonely so that I will see You more and stay in my loneliness less. Amen.
Reflection: Connect with the other guy/guys that you did this devotional week with. Share with each other what struck you, what you learned, and what you will do going forward.
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