There it stands, the lonely sign on the side of the highway or at an intersection. Alone, solo, single. When the sun shines the sign will shine and glow. At night when headlights fall upon the sign, it beams and sparkles. When a car has passed, the sign is left behind alone in the dark.
By itself at night, when the traffic slows, it stands lonely again. Dark and cold, only an occasional critter scurrying around; the sign stands alone. No warm covering, and no intended visitors. It has no way to move from the place it stands.
When I pass a sign, I get this lonely feeling that I cannot quite describe. It is a feeling of an empty or lonely place, like walking down the highway by yourself. Cars come and go but when they are gone there you are alone. The same feeling that you might feel standing next to a giant forest by yourself at night! The loneliness falls on you like a blanket.
“May the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up nor the pit shut its mouth on me.”
Psalm 69:15
Are you that lonely sign? Stuck in loneliness and fear? Do you have that lonely feeling in the pit of your stomach? A feeling you cannot quite describe. Does the darkness envelop you leaving you cold, lonely, and empty? Do the critters that visit you occasionally, come and go, not offering any real light and warmth; they only visit out of necessity?
“I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.” Psalm 102:7
Being alone is not always a bad thing. It can be a nice quiet peaceful time to reflect or relax. It is the deep-down lonely feeling that is dangerous and debilitating. In this place we do not want to stay for a long time. How do we get out of this place and escape these feelings?
I remember, when I was younger, my mom described a feeling like going in a hole and hiding there, and not being able to get out. She would say that she felt like crawling in a hole and dying. Now I realize, at those times, she was probably in a deep depression. Mom found ways to get out of the hole. If she were here today, she would tell you that any progress forward in her life was God working in her life. She would testify that God sent literal angels her way, at just the right time, to bring her light. She dug out of that hole many times. I wonder if she thought about the lonely road signs like I do.
Each one of our lives have different challenges, with many ups and downs. We have many options for getting through each day. God has a plan for each one of our lives and it is up to us whether we are going to give our life over to Him to accomplish this. As recorded in the Psalms, King David suffered horrible lows emotionally, but our Heavenly Father always made a way out of the darkness for him.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,
3Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the pressure of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me
And in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
Psalm 55:1-6
16 As for me, I shall call upon God,
And the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,
For they are many who strive with me.
19 God will hear and answer them—
Psalm 55:16-19
The above scripture is an example of David crying out to God and how God will answer him. (I cut out some of the chapter to make the point but encourage you to read the whole chapter.) I have read much of the book of Psalms which continues to minister to me. I feel that David experienced the same emotional struggles that I do.
Our Heavenly Father can be that sunshine that lights up your day. He can be the “headlights” that make you stand up tall and shine. He will visit you with His Holy Spirit to counsel you. He will send His angels to minister to you.
Each day is not going to be perfect for us, but God will be there with us through it.
*All scripture is from the NASB unless otherwise noted.
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