But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?” (Heb. 2:6)
Expanded Passage: Hebrews 2:5-6
“Nobody cares,” the retired pastor lamented. “When I was a pastor, my life was full of activity and opportunities. Everybody wanted my attention. But now, I’m overlooked on the shelf. The invitations have vanished. It’s like I don’t even exist, and I am so lonely.” My heart broke for this disheartened saint who had served God so faithfully for decades.
Isolation is a very real challenge, and loneliness is such a widespread problem that the United States Surgeon General declared it a national health epidemic. Researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad discovered a lack of social connection shortens life and is comparable to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Humans were designed for companionship.
It helps to remember that even if others shut us out, we are never alone. When Noah entered the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Gen. 7:16). Like Noah, the Lord is in the boat with us! We are shut in safely with Jesus every moment of every day. Through the storms and struggles of life, he has promised to be with us always. What a precious and faithful friend we have in Jesus! He knows all about us and cares far more than we will ever know. Nothing can separate us from his love. Even if everyone else has forgotten, Jesus is still mindful of us. When life is looking down, look up to see his smiling face.
Remember the friend you have in Jesus when you feel isolated.
Mark O. Wilson serves as Division of Religion chair at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
