One of the most dangerous forces on the planet is loneliness

This is the hallway outside my classroom right before I taught my 3 math classes today. I grew up at CVCS and have many wonderful memories, but being a somewhat awkward middle schooler, I had some lonely times as well. That’s when I started to learn a really important lesson: If we listen to loneliness, we’ll often make mistakes. The wrong crowd is always available, but so is God.  

Genesis‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭says, “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.”

Hagar was innocent in many ways but was now on the run. She was Sarah’s servant and married Abram when Abram and Sarah took matters into their own hands instead of trusting God. 

Sarah got jealous (could’ve seen that coming!), and we find Hagar running for her life. There’s a lot to that story, and I hope you’ll read all of Genesis 16, but verses 13‬-‭14‬ ‭capture Hagar’s amazing view of God: “And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.”

She felt all alone, but she was seen! And being seen and noticed by God is better than being seen by anyone else. 

We really aren’t alone even when we feel alone. Let’s turn to God in our loneliness instead of making things worse with our own attempts at a solution. 

Today’s Bible reading is Genesis 16.