Jesus discussing His impending death, tells His disciples in John 16:20-22, "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." The disciples, for three years, had placed their trust and hope on Jesus. They were about to experience loneliness and despair, when despite the warning, they were about to lose what they held most dear. He goes on in 16:32-33, "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Notice Jesus' prayers in 17:11, "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are." Concerning us, Jesus prays in 17:20-21, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

Throughout Jesus' ministry He is teaching others to get their eyes off of the horizontal and on to the vertical. If our hope and trust is on earthly things, it is simply a matter of time before each of us experience loneliness. But God gave us Himself. In Romans 8:35-39, Paul states that nothing on earth can separate us from Jesus. Besides this He has given us each other. A world filled with brothers and sisters in Christ. This not some good sounding, spiritual sounding family, but a real family. Jesus placed more emphasis on our standing in Him, and our church family and than our earthly ones. Being in Calvary Chapel of Old Bridge, I have seen this first hand. These bonds are real, and strong. Brothers and sisters lifting up one another in many different ways. God has left none of us who are called by His name alone. He has given us Himself and each other. He knew how difficult and lonely this world could become and He gave us the solution. If as a Christian, you prefer to do your own thing, remember the words in Hebrews 10:24 -25, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching.”