Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:07 Hey there, village church, Vicki basing you're here. And I am sitting with pastor Michael fueling and we are going through sermon Q and a for the sermon practical evangelism for a lonely world, which was preached on June 13th, 2021. And today we're answering the question. Why does God allow loneliness?
Speaker 2 00:00:25 That's a great question. And I want to get right to the answer because I think the answer is actually really helpful. Yeah. So there are emotions that we call red flag emotions, and basically what these are. These are emotions that God has designed us to have or experiences that when we have them, the first thing we need to do to address the issue is go to the mechanic to go to when you have a, when you have an indicator light in your car, that's not on, right? Yeah. You don't just sit there and you're like, I'll deal with it next week. What do they always say? When the check engine light goes on, get over to the mechanic. And so when, when you have red flag emotions, like, like loneliness or anxiety and some have debated whether loneliness is an experience or an emotion, whatever it is, if there's a red flag experience or emotion, you run to the Lord.
Speaker 2 00:01:08 Yeah. Um, people might say, okay, what advice would you give me? I'm lonely. And honestly, anything past run to the Lord, cast your anxiety, cast your fear, cast your loneliness, um, run back to him after that piece of advice, any, any really piece of advice I would give somebody after that needs to be kind of personalized. Yeah. I feel like it might be a little presumptuous for me to give generalized advice because some people might not need to go see a counselor. Um, so might need to go see a pastor. Some might need to go to the friend group and just kind of step up and say, here's what I need to function well. Um, and your friends might even love to give it to you if they knew what it was, you don't want to appear needy. And so you don't. And so you retreat and then this grows and, um, there might be practical things in your life that are resolvable.
Speaker 2 00:01:56 You might mean you might need medication. I, I have no idea might actually be a hormonal issue. I mean, there are so many levels to experiences and emotions that I'm not even going to begin to dabble in right now. But what I know that I know that I know is that if you have loneliness, if you have a red flag emotion, um, it is, it is not sin to experience this. Um, it is part of the design of God in your body to tell you something's off. Yeah. Um, and always when something is off our only, and first response is we go to the Lord. Then after we cast our anxieties on the Lord, after we go to him in prayer, after we open up his word, after we spend time with him and, and, and, and deal with that part of it, then we go and we figure out what those next steps are. But first and foremost,
Speaker 1 00:02:44 I think it's so interesting how anti-cultural it is like we have, you know, this feeling of loneliness and basically the Lord's just like, oh, aren't you get more alone with me. Right. And our culture is saying like, no, you need to get out. You need to be with your, make sure that you're doing this, get it, get an activity, find a hobby, you know, like just really pushing that. Yeah. And then it will help you forget about it. But that will only last for, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:03:09 Speaking as an extrovert who surrounds himself with people to not to numb the realities of life at times, you know, like it actually never deals with you an escape.
Speaker 1 00:03:18 It's an escape. And you know, we, we have those in all different ways. Each one of us has, you know, my, as a, as an introvert, mine is not people per se. I like to read, I like to say a classical music. I like to play my piano. Like I, you know, these are the things that I need to escape.
Speaker 3 00:03:34 I know differently. I'm like, I need people everywhere all the time. Right now. Are you free? Are you free? Let's go play with, <inaudible> leave me alone. Don't touch me. Don't talk to me. Right. Which
Speaker 1 00:03:46 Small children, it's very difficult to come by. But, uh, but I think that it's really interesting how, you know, the Lord has designed these red flag emotions, which are, you know, really indicative in some of us right here. Um, if we get anxious that even manifest itself, physically, yeah. Headaches, stomach aches, you know, things that actually start happening to your body. So having letting it go that far and really just knowing like, Hey, I really need to run back to the Lord right now and spend some time with him. And some people need to spend time with the Lord alone for longer periods of time than others. Um, but I think that, you know, God made us to be emotional beings because we're made in his image. And we've talked about that at a great deal, you know, a great length. Um, so God has emotions. Therefore we have emotions, but he gave us these red flags because we are imperfect. Yep. So we are not going to experience joy the way that God does or jealousy, the way that God does, we'll get it wrong. And we'll go too far. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:04:41 There's also this pendulum swing, which Sabrina and I, uh, she's a counselor we've been to counseling. And, uh, there are certain kinds of counselors that have really aggravated us and I'll tell you who they are. And I want to make sure our listeners don't hear this because, um, there are certain counselors who will go to, and they'll say, all you need is the Bible and God, and that's it. And what I don't want to do is have somebody just say, if your personal relationship with God does not get rid of all of your negative emotions, you have a problem. And we found though, like, I think this is interesting. Uh, I believe, I believe, gosh, my brain is forgetting, but I believe it was Elijah. And God's remedy for his depression, was eat some food and take a nap. You know what
Speaker 3 00:05:18 I mean? That's my kind of recipe, right? Yeah. It is very
Speaker 2 00:05:22 Interesting. Like when, when there are things going on, if I have a lack of sleep, if I have way too much caffeine, if I am doing too much, if I'm avoiding the Lord, I mean, it's interesting how all of these, um, um, these physical things actually produce emotional realities in me. And so, in fact, when I go back to the Lord, it's often he brings conviction. Like, no, actually you're running to these idols and these idols are producing and you loneliness and anxiety and fear and panic attacks and different things. And, and it's my time with the Lord that puts all of these things into perspective. But I want to be clear that the throw a Bible verse ad approach, um, doesn't usually work, especially the deeper, the emotional issue. But what we do is we run to the Lord and then we ask a spirit for wisdom.
Speaker 2 00:06:08 Okay. Um, are there things out of my control? Do I need to see a doctor? Do I need to stop? Um, whatever the habit or addiction is? The problem is probably the answer's. Yes, but it's an addiction with an affirmative. Um, but all of these things over here create this red flag, um, uh, experience or emotion. And then when you go to the Lord, he gives you insight and wisdom. Often, sometimes, you know, you just, you don't know what to do next, and you get some good pastoral advice and the people of God are filled with the spirit of God. I think sometimes, sometimes, um, the next step isn't clear until you go to the people of God, somebody might have a gift of wisdom and you might need to just sit and let God minister to you through their wisdom. That's very possible and they can help you take the next step. You go to the Lord first. We don't just, that's not the end all and be all it doesn't fix necessarily every negative emotion, but without that foundation, everything else is just kind of not total.
Speaker 1 00:07:00 And I would also say, you know, red flag emotions are in place to protect us. And if we have someone who is listening into this and you are feeling, you know, extreme with your emotions, if you really are, you know, feeling suicidal or extreme on that loneliness side, um, please don't isolate yourself with your Bible in a room and not talk to anybody. Like that's not the point of this conversation. It is to point you back to the Lord little counsel, but also seek somebody out like you pastor, or a counselor or somebody in your life who can talk you through what that next step might be. So I think that, you know, going through those kinds of, you know, can we give it like a 1, 2, 3, you know, get with the Lord, um, make sure you're spending time with him, point yourself back to him. That's probably like the number one thing, get back to the mechanic. Totally. Um, talk to someone, someone who is, you know, a godly wise person in your life, who you can trust and rely on. And then number three, take that next step. Whether it is going to see a counselor or a doctor or, you know, actually join.
Speaker 2 00:07:59 If the Lord tells you what it is, it's this thing you're making bad to just deal with it. Decisively. Amen. Your job. All right. I want to you back next time, we have more questions in sermon Q and a, where we go deeper into our sermons that we preach every week. So join us next time.
