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You may live in a house with lots of people or you may be an only child. You may be squeezing past hundreds of students in school hallways or watching YouTube in your room at home. Wherever we are, sometimes it seems that loneliness settles upon us like a python—it rests on our shoulders and can even become a companion that we defend and stroke. But all the while, the creature wraps itself tighter and tighter, squeezing breath and life out of us.

David was a young man who was often lonely. He spent a lot of time alone in open fields watching sheep. I’m sure he talked to his pets, but a pet isn’t the same as a close friend, is it? Later, his best friend Jonathan wanted to be there for him, but Jonathan’s father, King Saul, drove David away from his family in a jealous rage. David had to hide in caves, hanging out with troubled guys while Saul hunted him down to try to kill him.

The troubled guys who hung with David came to care greatly for him and were very loyal. But whether on the run or surrounded by four hundred loyal guys, David often struggled with loneliness. In the cave, David said, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul” (Psalm 142:4). I believe that we have all felt that way at times: that no one really knows us or really cares about us.

But when David felt alone, He knew who to talk to about it. His very next words are these: “I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5). God was a “safe place” for David. Although no one on earth could understand David’s despair and loneliness, God knew and was there to hear David and comfort him. I believe that David would say directly to us, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). David’s focus was on the only One who could give him hope and comfort—God Himself. God offers that same friendship, hope, and comfort to you. Do you feel alone? Talk to God about it like David did. Tell Him everything. He’ll listen and understand. And He’ll be there for you—in your home, in your school, or in a cave.

Tip: Read David’s song he wrote about his struggles and how God helped him in Psalm 27.

A “Word” to Ponder: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Originally published in the Holts Summit Community Newsletter.

Plants are little miracles.

We squint at the seed pinched between our fingers, and all we see is a hard, smooth shell some shade of brown or black or yellow. Yet we clear a spot in the dirt, drop the seed into the ground, and tenderly cover it back up expecting flowers or vegetables or trees to come from it. How does that happen? Although we only see a hard shell, inside that shell is an organism that grows when certain conditions are met. Water, oxygen, sunlight, and soil work together to bring forth that seed’s full potential.

Like the seed, each person has potential. There is something working inside the spirit that yearns to bloom forth vibrant and glorious. But as we experience life, we encounter withering conditions. The clouds of sickness or job loss or financial difficulties block the sun. We experience drought as loved ones fail us or even abandon us. And we root ourselves in activities and experiences that may be toxic instead of nurturing. Yet God promises that if we plant ourselves in the right soil, we will flourish. The psalmist says in Psalm 92:13, “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”

As a young child, I was planted by my parents in the house of the Lord. Everything in my life revolved around Him. I listened to Dan and Louie tell Bible stories on audio tapes as I played or lay down to sleep.¹ I listened to Christian music that taught me about God’s character and the need for me to surrender to Him. And every time the doors of the church were open, I was there to learn about God and be around His people. As I grew, my family studied the Bible together at the kitchen table, and I learned how to serve the Lord in the church. Although work and schooling and other activities have since been grafted into my life, my roots have stayed entrenched in the house of the Lord.

I have experienced the turbulence that harsh life conditions bring. I have experienced losses and disappointments. But through it all, I have continued to grow because of where I have been planted. My church family is dear to me, and we share a bond of support and love that helps nurture us during uncertain times. God’s Word provides the life-giving water of refreshment and strength, and His light of truth stimulates growth, drawing us to stretch heavenward.

Where are you planted? Where is your family planted? It is never too late to transplant ourselves into soil that will bring growth. God promises that if we are planted in Him, we will flourish throughout our lives and into eternity.

1. Dan and his dummy Louie tell amazing “Stories from the Castle”—the Bible-land Storybook Castle! You can get a subscription or download these stories at https://danandlouiestories.com/