5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you. Psalm 88:5-9

Loneliness is that feeling you have when you feel like everyone has abandoned you. Where did they all go? It’s a feeling of despair and hopelessness.

I suspect many of the hostages in Iran in the early 1980s had that sense of loneliness too. They got little to no news while in captivity, and what they received was undoubtedly full of propaganda. This is the kind of training we received at Survival School (mock POW camp) in the 80s. We were told that no one on the outside knew about our plight and that we would sit in prison and rot. Based on the setup of the camp and the expertise of the actors playing their roles, we believed them (even though we knew the camp was only supposed to last for 24 hours. For that those actors deserved Oscars!). Mind games. Head games.

Pray for Saeed Abedini, the American pastor from Idaho who has been in an Iranian prison for three years. Pray that he will know that others are praying for him while he’s there, and that he will be encouraged by stay strong in his faith.

Pray also for his wife, Naghmeh Abedini, and their two children. Pray that they will be encouraged by God almighty Himself.