Never Alone
I recently heard a conversation on the radio about the ways in which artificial intelligence is being used as a “possible cure for loneliness.” It’s tempting to immediately respond to this sort of thing with a dismissive attitude as we think about lonely people trying to find an AI girlfriend or boyfriend. But this particular episode was speaking of loneliness more generally — think of someone who has an illness that has kept them utterly isolated in a nursing home or perhaps someone locked up in prison with no hope of seeing loved ones.
A little imagination can grow our compassion for the depths of loneliness that people face and how a technological solution might be tempting. For all of us are susceptible to experiencing the pain of loneliness and, so, we look for relief.
The question I’d like to ask us today is to whom or to what, other than God, do you turn for comfort?
Let us remember that Jesus is real — and as Hebrews 13:5 encourages us, he “will never leave you nor forsake you.” We are never truly alone. This reminds us of our need to confess our sins.
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, because of Jesus we belong to you. You have sent your Holy Spirit to dwell within the temple of our bodies. “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!” Yet we confess that, in the pain of our loneliness and isolation, we often fail to trust in your ever-present help in times of need. We turn to idols and lesser substitutes to deal with the very real pain of our hearts. In our sin, we cease to glorify you as you truly are — as the rock of our souls and the one who meets all of our needs. Furthermore, we become ungrateful for the very tangible ways that you meet our desires for companionship in our families and friends and fellow believers. This is a great blessing that we often take for granted. So forgive us, we pray, and in your great mercy remember our sins no more. We bring them before you now in a moment of silent confession…