.png)
by Victor Isaac
Loneliness felt different for me in 2017. Let's navigate this journey together. Since 2011, I have been living independently while attending college, but every two weeks, I would return home to check on my family, and they would do the same for me. A few years later, I returned to the North, my birthplace, to serve as a youth pastor in a local church, marking the furthest I had ever been from my parents. However, in 2016, I made the significant move across the Atlantic Ocean for my education; this transition was the most challenging, as I could no longer visit my parents every two weeks, and our communication was restricted to just 30 minutes a week on the phone. I began to feel insecure and unsafe, confronting the harsh reality of life as “loneliness” became my new normal. While reflecting on scripture, I came across a passage that speaks of a friend who has been there for me all along, even before my existence. Proverbs 18:24 opened my eyes to one of the often-overlooked traits of this enigmatic God: the gift of a wonderful and everlasting friend who is closer than any family member.
It would have made sense if that passage of the scripture said, “But there is a brother that is closer than a friend.” Rather, the passage contradicts the norm by implying that there is a friend, and here is what the Bible says: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” This verse reminds us that not all companies bring comfort. Many people have been surrounded by others and still felt lonely. Life teaches us that some relationships fade when times get hard, but God promises something better.
Many of us know what it feels like to lose touch with family, friends, or neighbors. Age, sickness, poverty, or hard seasons can leave people feeling forgotten. God understands that pain. Reading through the pages of the scripture, I discovered that this verse speaks directly into that loneliness by telling us there is a kind of friendship that does not walk away. God values deep, faithful relationships, not just being around many people, not just because they are your blood, but relationships that see and understand your groaning, pains, and circumstances, yet can sympathise and empathise with such individuals.
I am glad to tell you that this faithful friend is Jesus Christ. He does not leave when life becomes difficult. He stays close in sickness, in loss, and in times when there is no one else. Jesus shared in hunger, rejection, and suffering, and He still chooses to walk beside those who trust Him. His friendship is not based on what we have, where we are coming from, who we are, or what we can offer.
Therefore, “the friend who sticks closer than a brother” is an invitation for us to trust God and to open our hearts to the right kind of companionship, starting with Him. When we lean on the Lord, He brings strength, comfort, and sometimes even caring people into our lives. Life is full of highs and lows, so you are not meant to walk it alone. There is a friend who stays, who listens, and who loves you deeply, even when the world turns away. He understands our weaknesses and strengths, and He would love to bring you from “you” to an intimate relationship with Him so you can move from where you are to where He wants you to be. The question is: do you want Him in your life?
Read 1 Peter 5:7 & Matthew 11:28-30. God can care for you and bring you to everlasting peace.
For more, click www.rowgc.org
Comments