5 Verses and Prayers to Read When You Feel Lonely
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Loneliness does not always require a person to be alone. We can experience the pain of this emotion even as we sit in a crowded room surrounded by others. In fact, sometimes a person can feel most lonely when friends and family are around them.
There are many reasons for feeling this way, including grief, illness, depression, or a lack of connection. Becoming isolated does not help, but even those who are socially involved can struggle with feeling lonely.
We often cannot help how we feel, but instead of trying to push the emotions away, we can let them drive us toward the Lord. What does He say about our situation? In what ways can we find comfort in His presence? In these times, we can turn to His Word and talk to Him about what we are experiencing.
The following verses and prayers can give us a starting place to hold onto the promise that, although we may feel lonely, we are never alone.
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1. A Prayer to Find Strength in God’s Unfailing Presence
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Joshua and the Israelites likely felt afraid when Moses told them that they would go into the Promised Land and conquer it without his leadership. Imagine Joshua and the weight of responsibility given to him. Who could relate to his task? Who could he confide in? Surely, he would have felt lonely despite being surrounded by a nation of people.
Perhaps this is the reason Moses reiterated the reminder that the Lord would be with Israel, and specifically encouraged Joshua that the Lord would go before him (see Deuteronomy 31:8). Though humans could be unreliable, he could trust that God would not forsake him. In the book of Joshua, we find an echo of this verse when the Lord directly tells the new leader not to be afraid but to trust in His presence (Joshua 1:9). With the Lord by his side, Joshua did not have to fear what awaited him beyond the Jordan.
We, too, can feel afraid and alone in life’s circumstances. Leading a nation is probably not our responsibility, but we can encounter challenges that test our faith. In those moments, we can struggle with feeling lonely, as if no one can understand the hardships we face. Yet, the promise that God gave to Joshua and Israel of His unfailing presence applies to us today. Those around us might not know or fully comprehend what we are experiencing. Or, the pressure of responsibility could leave us feeling as if we are alone in this fight. But the Lord God is with us. Our Savior has promised to always be by our side (Matthew 28:20).
Great God,
You are the one who led Israel through the Jordan and into the land of promise. You were with Joshua as he took up the mantle and led Your people. Help me to find strength in Your unfailing presence, as Joshua and the Israelites did. I am lonely and disheartened. Please revive my hope and remind me I am not alone in these circumstances, despite what my emotions tell me. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen.
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2. Seeking God’s Nearness in Grief
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18).
A sometimes-overlooked aspect of grief is the loneliness that creeps in after the loss of a loved one. Family and friends can surround us, and neighbors and the church community can visit, but we feel alone. A major part of our life – a person whom we cherished – is gone. The sorrow that fills our days forces us to notice this absence, and we can struggle to fully convey what we are feeling. Those around us may also struggle to know how to support us during this time, further increasing our loneliness.
Scripture provides us with a light in the valley of the shadow of death. Although we often perceive ourselves as alone in grief, cut off from the Lord’s help, the Bible tells us that the Lord is near us in those times of heartbreak. He does not turn away from the complex emotions we experience. Unlike those around us, He will never ignore or awkwardly overlook our loss because of a lack of understanding. In fact, the Bible tells us He can bind up the wounds where loss left its mark (see Psalm 147:3).
God gives us the comfort of His presence during dark times as He walks with us in the valley (Psalm 23:4). And that experience equips us for a future time when we encounter a friend or family member who endures the pain of grief. With the comfort we received from the Lord, we will be able to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:34).
There are days, O God, in which I am overwhelmed by loneliness. Everywhere I look, there is sorrow, and grief has made me feel as if there is no hope. So much of my life has changed after the death of my loved one. Remind me again of Your closeness in this season, of your presence in this land of shadow. Take this wounded heart and mend it with Your love.
Amen.
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3. Asking God for Help in Finding Fellowship
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land” (Psalm 68:5-6).
Our Lord is not like the people of this world, who notice only those who can return a favor or boost themselves through associating with individuals in elite positions. Scripture tells us that God takes the side of the lowly and defends those who are unable to defend themselves. He who is above all cares about those society overlooks.
In Psalm 68:5-6, we see this care extended to orphans, widows, and what some versions translate as the lonely. Biblical commentators often highlight how the word can also refer to those who are solitary, without a home or dwelling. Both translations match the wider teaching of Scripture, for in Christ, individuals receive a new family. We become, with other believers, children of God in the household of faith. No longer must we walk alone in our faith.
Bringing the deserted and outcasts into your home is also in this verse. The Lord is in the business of bringing near those who were far away, such as the Apostle Paul who fought against the church (1 Timothy 1:15-16), or Gentiles who are made one with Jews in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22). Thus, God emphasizes the need for His followers to care for orphans, widows, and the poor (James 1:27; 1 John 3:17-18). We are extending the same gift of love and fellowship that the Lord extends to us.
For those of us who are experiencing loneliness, we can trust that God sees our plight and cares. The Father invites all into His family through His Son, and when we trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we discover that we belong to a community of believers who can come alongside us in fellowship.
Father to the fatherless and Defender of widows,
I pray that You would consider my loneliness and aid me in finding a community that can encourage me, and which I can serve. You said it is not good for us to be alone. May You guide me by Your Spirit to those who love You and who can help fulfill this yearning for fellowship. More than anything, help me to lean more into You because You are a Friend who always remains. And if ever I see a lonely, forgotten, or cast-off person, may I reach out to them so that more lonely people will be placed in families. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen.
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4. A Prayer to Find Comfort in the Spirit of Christ
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. ‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).
Jesus knew what was coming; He would be betrayed, arrested, and crucified. But still He thought of His disciples. They did not yet fully understand what He was teaching them, of His death and resurrection. He explained they would have sorrow for a brief time, but their grief would turn to joy when they saw Him again (John 16:20). Looking ahead, He also told them about the promise of the Holy Spirit who would come after His ascension. None of them would be left as orphans for He would send the Spirit to live inside them.
Every believer is assured of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. At salvation, we are washed and baptized by the Spirit who makes His home inside us as our Helper, Comforter, and Advocate (Titus 3:5; John 15:26 and 16:7). Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower the disciples, but also to know that He would be with them through the working of the Spirit.
We can take comfort in knowing that the Spirit of Christ lives inside us whenever we feel lonely. He is our Friend even when we are physically alone.
Thank you, Savior, for sending us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Direct my thoughts back to this truth whenever loneliness strikes. Although I might feel lonely or be physically alone, I am never truly alone. Holy Spirit, You indwell me to equip and encourage me. May I find comfort in You and be led to unity with other believers, just as You live in perfect communion and unity with the Father and Son.
Amen.
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5. Expressing a Longing for Eternity
“There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4).
Before the fall of humankind, Adam and Eve had perfect communion with God and each other. All this changed when they disobeyed the Lord and brought sin into the world. They became broken and separated from God.
In Christ, we are brought back into a relationship with God and placed within a family of believers. Yet, we can still struggle with loneliness because we continue to live in a fallen world where death occurs and relationships are often messy. The perfect fellowship we long for will only occur when our Lord returns to renew all things. On the new heaven and new earth, God will dwell with us, and we will serve Him. Never again will we be separated. Never again will sin cause rifts in human relationships or emotional struggles.
In this middle period, between the tension of possessing eternal life now and awaiting the life that is to come, we can pour out our hearts to God in prayer. To express our yearning for the resurrection and the day that death, sorrow, and loneliness will exist no more. We add our voices to the declaration of the Apostle John: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
God,
There is so much brokenness in the world. I see it around me in the people I know, and inside me with feelings of loneliness and sorrow. This is not the reason You designed us. But You have broken the curse of sin by sending Your Son to die for us. Already death and sin have been defeated. Help me to hold onto this hope as I look forward to the coming renewal when everything will be made new and I will live in perfect harmony with You and others on the new heaven and new earth. My soul longs for that day and so I pray: Come, Lord Jesus. May Your Kingdom come. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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