Loneliness | Greg Ealey | Takeaways
Going Deeper Discussion
Talk about a time when you were going through a valley.
Did you keep walking?
Did you see God walking with you?
How did your faith grow through that time?
Do you pray for valleys to happen in your life? Why or why not?
Do you see patterns of times when you feel most lonely? What steps can you take to reduce the frequency or severity of those time?
What are practical ways you can support and encourage someone in their valley season?
Teaching Notes
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
When you feel lonely…
1. Keep moving.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
Psalm 23:4
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
“…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:25
Why do we have a sense of loneliness today?
"It is a ‘me-first’ mind-set. This mind-set says indulge yourself, fulfill your desires, satiate your appetites, pursue pleasure, take off all restraints. As much as we might want to pretend that this value system died in the eighties, let’s be honest: it is alive and still thriving. With this mind-set comes an elusive promise: If you seek first your own good and satisfy your own desires, then you will be happy. In print, on television, and in the movies, over and over we hear the lie. The road to contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment, and true joy is marked with a street sign flashing ‘Me First.’...People are pathologically self-centered and ignore the needs of others.”
Bill Hybels: Why People are Lonely
2. Keep praying.
'“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and staff they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4
Prayer reconnects you to God.
3. Keep believing.
“I will fear no evil, why, because God is with me…”
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46)
“Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’”
Deuteronomy 31:7-8
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ so that we confidently say, ‘THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?’”
Hebrews 13:5
Even though I walk through the valley of loneliness and feeling isolated—I will fear no evil, I will keep moving, I will keep praying, and I will keep believing. For My God is with me and He is stronger than my doubt or my problems, and when no one else understands He holds me in His hands…Amen!