The Lonely Human
Human loneliness is a result of a sense of being disconnected from God, leading to a feeling of purposelessness and emptiness.
A.W. Tozer explores the paradox of human nature, where individuals may exhibit pride and arrogance while simultaneously experiencing profound loneliness and despair. He emphasizes that many people mask their inner turmoil with a facade, feeling like orphans in a world that seems indifferent to their existence. This deep-seated loneliness stems from a belief that God is disconnected from their lives, echoing Eve's deception in the garden. Tozer argues that sin and defeat contribute to this sense of alienation, leaving individuals questioning their worth and the purpose of their humanity.
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There is a strange contradiction in human nature all around us: the fact that a person can reek with pride, display a swollen ego and strut like a peacock-and yet be the loneliest and most miserable person in the world! We find these people everywhere-pretending and playing a game. Deep within their beings, they are almost overwhelmed by their great loneliness, by their sense of being orphans in the final scheme of things. The result of this strange, aching human sense of loneliness and cosmic orphanage is the inward, groping question: "What good is it to be a human being?
No one cares about me!" In the garden, Eve believed Satan's lie-the lie that God was not concerned about her and that God had no emotional connection with her life and being.
This is where the unregenerate person is in today's world. It is only sin and defeat that can bring this sense of orphanage, this sense of having been put out of the father's house, and the feeling that follows when the house is burned down and the father is dead.
Sermon Outline
- The Human Condition of Loneliness
- The contradiction in human nature
- The display of pride and ego
- The underlying sense of loneliness
Key Quotes
“There is a strange contradiction in human nature all around us: the fact that a person can reek with pride, display a swollen ego and strut like a peacock-and yet be the loneliest and most miserable person in the world!” — A.W. Tozer
“The result of this strange, aching human sense of loneliness and cosmic orphanage is the inward, groping question: ''What good is it to be a human being? No one cares about me!''” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize that human loneliness is a universal experience and can be a result of a lack of emotional connection with God.
- Acknowledge the lie that sin and defeat can bring a sense of loneliness and orphanage.
- Seek a deeper emotional connection with God to overcome feelings of purposelessness and emptiness.