This post is an excerpt of of the book " How To Pray Through Depression & Loneliness!
Pause to ponder on the word of God
Psalm 23:4 “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 your staff, they comfort
me”
2 Corinthians 7:5-6 “For even when we came into
Macedonia, our bodies had no
rest, but we were afflicted at every turn-fighting without and fear within. But
God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,”
Jeremiah.
8:21"Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips
me.”
Jeremiah
9:1 “If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I
would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered.”
Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help
come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Stop and read
John T. Cacioppo, Professor at the University of Chicago explains why
loneliness is bad for you.
“Loneliness not only increases wear and tear, by keeping the body in alert
mode, but also may prevent people from recharging their batteries with rest and
relaxation… His work has convinced Cacioppo that loneliness is a health risk on
its own, apart from conditions such as depression or stress that are common
fellow travellers. More
specifically, it seems to be the subjective experience of loneliness that’s
important for people’s well-being, rather than any objective measure of social
connectivity (the number of close contacts someone has, for example). It’s an
important distinction that most previous studies had ignored, says Daniel
Russell, a psychologist at Iowa State University in Ames. “Some people are
socially isolated and they’re not lonely,” Russell says. “By contrast, some
people are lonely even if they have a lot of social contacts.”
Because loneliness is a negative feeling, it, of course, affects us physically
and mentally. In fact, studies have shown that life can become so distorted
through loneliness that some people want to commit suicide. Some people would
do anything to get attention, others become drug addicts, and some drink
heavily, all to escape their own world. Some people gain weight, some become
irritated and irrational, there is also sleep deprivation, and some exhibit
various levels of anger.
Here is a partial list associated with the effect of loneliness in our lives.
1. Lead
to depression
2. Depression
and suicide
3. Antisocial behaviour
4. Sleeplessness
5. May
trigger substance abuse for those in addiction recovery
6. Altered
brain function
7. Poor
decision-making
8. It
affects your spiritual life with God
9. Causes
drastic decrease of memory
10. Cardiovascular
disease and stroke
It does not matter which study you look into, they will all tell you that
loneliness can be overcome. After you go through all the psychobabble, you find
that the bottom line is helping those who are affected by loneliness and
depression to shift their attention and interpretation of their situation in a
more positive direction. This brings me to ask you a question about your
loneliness. Have you thought about making the God that you serve, your all
and all? I have one verse from Revelation 12:11 “They triumphed over him by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their
lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Pray
to God 
Oh my dear Savior, I no longer want to live a fragmented and unhealthy life.
Restore my life in you and make me whole. I need your light to shine within me
today and take the darkness away. Come and take my burden away and let me
experience your peace. Teach me how to delight in you. Teach me how to make you my God.
Teach me how to learn to focus on you and yearn for you. Unchangeable God,
right now I feel like a hypocrite because the self has never decreased. Help me
trust myself to your care. Help me to stop serving my own ends and let you deal
with me. Fear, doubt and self-centeredness are all I know. Help me live a life
of trust in you alone. A life completely subdued and overpowered by you. Above
all else, help me to live out my identity in you. Shed your love in my heart
and help me walk in fellowship with you. Give me wisdom to see clearly and
understand your mighty sacrifice for me. Teach my heart how to trust you. Make
me willing to be willing to do your will, make me willing to walk the walk and die
to self so that I can leave behind loneliness, depression, fear, paranoia,
anxiety and everything else that comes with not trusting you to care for
my life. Help me to experience life lived in you.
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