Treatment for a Lonely Heart
A lonely heart. Many know it all too well. The covid pandemic has only compounded that feeling for many. The Christmas holidays, for some, can actually add fuel to a lonely heart. A lonely heart thinks, “No one really knows me” and “No one really cares about me.”
What do you do with such thoughts? Some try and stay busy so that they avoid such thoughts as much as possible. Others drown out the loneliness with food or drink or various substances. Others shop or find a constant supply of entertainment. But, God’s cure for a lonely heart is ultimately the ONE born in Bethlehem, who is called Immanuel, which means God with us. That term is found in the gospel of Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 1:22–23 says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
Immanuel. The name appears in the same Hebrew form as it did thousands of years ago. When translated it means “God with us.” Not God above us, or God somewhere around us. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.
We don’t need to say “No one knows me.” God knows us. We don’t need to say “No one really cares about me.” God does. God cares so much that he left the comfort of heaven and came down to earth to show his love and care. He entered our world as a tiny helpless baby. He was rejected by those who came to save. He went to the cross and died for our sins and rose again. In Christ, God has come to us, and by the Holy Spirit, God indwells us, quite literally, the moment we trust Him as our Savior. Therefore, we are not alone.
As it says in Hebrews 13:5 “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ So, we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” In a very real way, Jesus is with us at all times, in all places, and in all situations, by his Spirit who indwells us. Jesus knows us completely, and Jesus truly cares for us. He is God’s treatment for a lonely heart.
