Grief and loneliness often lead to fear, which in turn provokes all kinds of unanswerable questions such as: "What if I get sick and can't work; who is going to provide for me?" "What if I am alone for the rest of my life?" "What if this pain I am feeling never goes away?" "What if a problem arises that I don't know how to handle on my own?"

I would like to share with you some vital points to help you overcome grief and loneliness and gain complete emotional recovery:

Know that God is with you all the time.

In Matthew 28:20 KJV Jesus said, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Then in Hebrews 13:5 KJV we read that God has promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Grief and loneliness often lead to fear, which in turn provokes all kinds of unanswerable questions such as: "What if I get sick and can't work; who is going to provide for me?" "What if I am alone for the rest of my life?" "What if this pain I am feeling never goes away?" "What if a problem arises that I don't know how to handle on my own?"

"What if...what if...what if...." The questions go on and on, endlessly.

You cannot answer all of the "what ifs" in life. But as long as you know that Jesus is with you, you can be assured that He has all the answers you need.

Consider these Scripture passages and let them bring comfort to you:

A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.  (Ps. 68:5-6)

Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].  (Ps. 27:10)

Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more. For your Maker is your Husband—the Lord of hosts is His name—and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.
(Isa. 54:4-5)

He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. (Isa. 53:3)

Fruit of Sickness
Sickness also brings grief and loneliness. When we are hurting and pain is flooding our body, we want someone to understand how bad we are feeling. Even though our family and friends may do the best they can for us, we can still find ourselves lonely in our suffering.

Extended illness is even worse because after a while we find that others don't want to continually hear how bad we are feeling. Now only does it not edify them, but it does not help our progress to keep talking about how miserable we are.

When you are sick, you will have the same kind of questions that you have when you are experiencing a tragedy or loss: "What if I never get well; who will take care of me?" "What if I can never do the things that I used to do?" "What if I am never able to go back to work; who will provide for me and my family?" "What if I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life?"

In sickness, you have to apply the same principle that we have discussed in our consideration of grief and loneliness. You have to know that God is your Healer and believe that His power is at work in your body to heal and restore you.

Remember that, "Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. 15:54 KJV) and that God has said, "I am the Lord Who heals you" (Ex. 15:26).

Spend a great deal of time with the Lord and allow His resurrection life that is in you as a believer to minister to your physical needs. As you do so, meditate on these Scripture passages:

...The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
(Isa. 40:28-31)

Once again, know that you are not alone. The Lord is with you. He understands what you are going through and has promised to be with you in every trial of life. When you "feel" the loneliest and the most forsaken, open your mouth in faith and say emphatically, "I am not alone, for God is with me!"

Source: Help Me I'm Alone by Joyce Meyer
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers