Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

A lonely, dejected man sat in the office of Dr. James Hamilton, a British physician who practiced in Manchester, England.  The patient told of a sickness which he said was taking his very life.  “I am frightened of the terror of the world around me.  I am depressed by life. I can find no happiness anywhere.  Nothing amuses me, and I have nothing to live for.”  He continued, saying, “If you can’t help me, I shall kill myself.”

Sensing that this was not the kind of illness which responds to medication, Hamilton, having just been to the circus, suggested that he go see Grimaldi, the world renowned clown, perform. “Grimaldi is the funniest man alive,” said Hamilton.  “He’ll cure you.”

A dark look of pain crossed the patient’s face as he said, “Doctor, don’t jest with me.  I am Grimaldi.”

How do you cure the loneliness of those who make others laugh, but inwardly are painfully lonely?  Scores of people, like Grimaldi, the circus entertainer, put on a good front and make others think they are on top of everything when, in reality, they are lonely and hurt deeply.

Is there a cure to the loneliness of an empty heart?  How do you fix a lonely, broken heart?

Dr. Leonard Cammer, a psychiatrist who specialized in treating depression, said, “The human being is the only species that can’t survive alone.  The human being needs another human being–otherwise, he’s dead.”

John Wesley Shouse tells how he picked up a hitchhiker and initiated a conversation with the young man who shared the ride.  The hitchhiker told Shouse how he had made going to rock concerts a life-style, and that all he did was to go from one to another, working a few days here and there to keep body and soul together.

He described the feelings which the music brought to his life, and how his entire being revolved around his reactions to the music. After a few minutes, the hitchhiker asked, “What do you do for a living?” Shouse is a seminary professor who spends his life teaching young men and women how to preach, and he explained that he was a Christian and was involved in Christian work.

The young man sat there in silence for a few minutes, trying to process the information that he had just received, and then he asked, “What does it feel like to be a Christian?”  Then it was Dr. Shouse’s turn to think.  Striving to reply in such a way that the youth could relate to what he said, Dr. Shouse said, “Being a Christian feels like never being alone.”

Shouse understood the companionship that comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5).  Religions are usually based upon the premise that a person must do certain things to appease God.  Christianity is a relationship, and with that relationship comes companionship that denies the stark reality of being forever alone.  That’s the difference.

How do you forge this kind of a relationship?  Going to church may help, but it isn’t an answer in itself because going to church can leave you just as lonely as staying away from it.

Most people have never forged a personal relationship with Christ because they only know Him in a professional sort of way, not in an intimate, personal friendship way.  Get to know the personal Jesus, and you will never be lonely again. And how do you do that? I’d suggest you begin by reading his biography in the Gospel of John. Ask Him to show Himself real to you. He will, friend. And when He does, you will never be lonely again.

Resource reading: Psalm 43:1-5.