Lord, Make Me Lonely

Make me what??? As a single guy or gal asking God to make you lonely is about the last thing anyone would expect you to pray for. Why ask for what you've already got? After all you and I are already single! Doesn't that imply loneliness?

Eh, maybe...

Take a look at how the rest of the verse and chorus go from the song "Keep Making Me" by Sidewalk Prophets:

Make me lonely, so I can be Your's.
'Till I want no one, more than You Lord.
'Cause in the darkness, I know You will hold me.
Make me lonely.

'Till You are my one desire.
'Till You are my one true love.
'Till You are my breath, my everything.
Lord, please keep making me.

To me, here's a song (that's also a prayer), from someone that really gets it. In using my own struggle as an example, I look at the how much I desire to be in a relationship. The writer here turns that desire for something worldly around and looks at the heart issue - I feel lonely because God is not my complete desire; other things are competing for me. Maybe more appropriately, I'm allowing other things to compete for me. Rather than praying for God to bring me someone that will complete me, fill my needs, be me soul mate, or whatever else society tells us we're supposed to get from a relationship, the writer is encouraging us to have the discipline and courage to ask to be left in that state until the only One who can completely fill the void is in the proper place.

Mind. Blown.

While you're wrapping your mind around that, consider this little gem if you're single - you're ready for a relationship when you no longer feel like you need one. If you really need something, and you're not looking to God to meet it, you're looking in the wrong place.

Philippians 4:19 "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

So whether it's the loneliness of being single, or some other struggle, turn it around on yourself. What does it say about you and where your relationship with Christ is weak or lacking? Ask Him to fill the void personally instead of bringing something else from this world to do it. After all, you don't need something else from this broken world or a broken person, what you need is Christ to do what Christ does - love you and sustain you completely and perfectly. Put your hope in a broken world and broken people and you'll find disappointment. Place that hope and trust in an eternal God who's very nature is love... that's where you'll find unspeakable joy!