You Are Not Alone: How God Draws Near When the World Feels Far Away

One morning years ago, during a dark season of life, I sat in my car before work and couldn’t

bring myself to get out. The radio was on, people were walking by, and the world was moving. But I felt invisible. Even to this day, I remember the feeling. I was surrounded by noise and activity, yet I felt completely alone. 

How can a person be surrounded by people but still be lonely? Let me explain. Loneliness isn’t just the absence of people. It’s the ache of feeling unseen, unheard, and untouched in ways that matter most. And it’s one of the most painful experiences in life. 

If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. Countless national outlets and university researchers are writing about an “epidemic of loneliness, and the U.S. Surgeon General even released an entire study exploring this phenomenon. 

You’re also not alone because Jesus understood that pain and made us a promise. The night before His crucifixion, when His disciples were anxious about His leaving, He told them, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.… If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (Jn 14:18, 23). 

What a promise! You are not abandoned. You are not alone. 

When God Feels Far Away  

When are we most likely to feel lonely? Studies show that loneliness often follows in the footsteps of loss or disappointment, but can even arise from the simple passing of time. Maybe you’ve buried someone you love, or watched a friendship fade, or moved to a new place where nobody really knows you. Even strong believers can wake up one day and realize that, for some reason, their faith feels hollow and prayers seem to echo in an empty room. 

King David understood that kind of feeling. In the Psalms, he wrote, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? … If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.… Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Ps 139:7–10). 

It’s as if David was testing the limits of God’s presence, only to discover that there are none. God is with us at the graveside, in the hospital room, and in the aching aftermath of a divorce. His nearness doesn’t depend on our emotions; it rests on His character. 

The God Who Moves In  

Jesus said the Father and the Son “make their home” with those who love Him. That means God doesn’t visit occasionally; He moves in. The same God who spoke galaxies into being has chosen to live within you by His Spirit.  

Allow yourself to reflect on that for a while. You might feel alone, but you are never abandoned. Never. In fact, the Spirit of God dwells in the very places that ache the most. 

When I look back on my own season of isolation, I can see that God was there all along. I didn’t sense Him at the time, but later, I realized how He had been quietly carrying me—through Scripture, through a song, through the unexpected kindness of a friend. 

God’s presence doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it simply holds you until the fog lifts. But he’s always there, whether we can feel it or not 

The Healing Power of Presence  

What advice would I give if you’re feeling the dull ache of loneliness? My first suggestion is don’t rush to fill the silence. Sit in it for a moment and acknowledge that God is there. You don’t need perfect words. You can whisper, Lord, I don’t feel You right now, but I trust that You’re here. Do that until it settles into your heart that He is, in fact, with you even when it seems He’s not. 

Over time, your decision to trust Him will soften the ache. God’s presence will become real again, not as a feeling you chase, but as a certainty you rest in. Similar to sunlight breaking through a window, His comfort begins to warm the cold corners of your heart. 

And as God comforts you, I suspect He’ll nudge you to comfort others. Someone you know is probably feeling the same way you are—quietly aching, hoping someone notices. Be that person who notices. Send a text. Make a call. Invite them for coffee. Your small act of care might be the reminder they’ve been praying for. What’s more, as your compassion expands, your loneliness will shrink. 

Never Truly Alone  

If you’re feeling unseen today, take heart. The Savior who promised, “I will not leave you as orphans,” still keeps His word. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He never will. 

May I suggest that you pray this truth back to Him?:  

Lord, thank You that I am never truly alone. Help me sense Your presence in the quiet, and use my life to remind someone else that You are near. 

Because the God who meets you in your loneliness is the same God who will send you back into the world, refreshed and renewed. And not empty, but filled with His love.