This Is For All the Lonely People

Elvis sang, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" According to a recent AARP study, the answer, for almost half of the population over 40, is yes. Loneliness can lead to a laundry list of physical ailments, but it does offer one positive: discovering what's behind the loneliness can move you closer into the Father's arms. Counselors Amy Aldrich and Cathy Jantzen unpacked this in detail on the show. All good stuff, but what will stay with me from the hour is the story from one of you.

This young woman has spent the majority of her life feeling alone. She was molested at age four, picked on in school, and labeled the black sheep of the family. When anyone did show her kindness, she doubted their motives and felt haunted by "never enough" thoughts. As a child she'd begged God -- Who can do anything because He's God -- to come down to earth and give her a hug. That's all she wanted: a hug from her heavenly Father. A few years ago this wounded woman decided to take a risk and go to church. After the service, the pastor, who'd positioned himself at the door to say goodbye to the parishioners, gave her a warm hug. The physical touch caused emotional overload...lots of tears, and she didn't know why. She went back to church the next week and the same thing happened again: hug from the pastor followed by tears. The young woman asked God what was happening. His answer? Remember when you were a little girl and you asked me to come to earth and hug you? Well, that's what I just did.

The longed for, hoped for, prayed for kindness of God, experienced through the warm and caring hug of a pastor (who had no idea what God was doing through his shepherd-action), was and is still being used by God to eradicate a young woman's loneliness.

God hears all of our prayers, spoken and unspoken. He collects all of our tears. And He always, always answers our prayers in His perfect way.