What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
When Christmas Lights Can't Touch the Darkness: Finding Emmanuel in Your Loneliest Season
What do you do when the most wonderful time of the year feels like the loneliest? Isaiah 9:6 reveals that God doesn't send systems or strategies to rescue us—He steps into our darkness Himself, offering wholeness through Christ's four redemptive names.
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You can sit in a room full of people and still feel profoundly alone. You can be surrounded by twinkling lights, wrapped presents, and cheerful carols—yet carry the heaviness of a quiet heart. December arrives with its cultural brightness turned up to maximum: the music plays louder, the decorations sparkle brighter, and everyone seems to be celebrating "the most wonderful time of the year."
But for many of us, this season intensifies something we'd rather not name: loneliness.
It's the question whispered in the 1977 soul classic by The Emotions: "What do the lonely do at Christmas?" And while that song was an observation of cultural festivities happening all around while something essential was missing, it becomes a doorway into one of Scripture's most powerful revelations about human suffering and divine rescue.
The answer isn't found in holiday cheer or forced positivity. It's discovered in Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
When Your Condition Becomes Your Cry
To understand Isaiah's message, we need context. Judah was in crisis—terrified by military alliances forming against them, led by a king (Ahaz) who chose human strength over divine trust. Instead of turning to God, Ahaz sought help from a violent empire, a decision that would eventually devastate his nation.
Into this moment of fear, instability, and national anxiety, God sent Isaiah with a message: "Do not fear; trust the Lord." He offered them a sign—Emmanuel, meaning "God with us."
Here's what strikes me about Isaiah 9: The people's condition itself was their cry. Look at what the text reveals:
- Their darkness was their cry (Isaiah 9:2)—walking away from God's presence
- Their oppression was their cry (Isaiah 9:4)—yoke, staff, and rod symbolizing burdens
- Their failed leadership was their cry (Isaiah 9:16)—leaders causing people to err
- Their pain, fear, and burdens cried out
You don't have to fake it. You don't have to pretend everything is okay. God sees your condition before you even have the faith to open your mouth and cry unto Him. That's good news.
"The problem isn't that we cry out—it's that we often don't know where to take our issues. God reminds us: Emmanuel. God with you. God with me. That's what Jesus Christ is in your life."
God Doesn't Send Solutions—He Steps Into Your Story
Notice what God doesn't send to rescue Judah:
- Not an army (though they thought that's what they needed)
- Not a strategy (though they were desperate for one)
- Not a system (though systems make us feel secure)
God sends a child. God enters human suffering not by sending something or someone else—He sends Himself.
This is the biblical pattern throughout Scripture: God responds to human cries by drawing near.
- Exodus 3:7 — "I have heard their cry, for I know their sorrows"
- Psalm 34:17 — "The righteous cry, and the Lord hears"
- Galatians 4:4 — "In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son"
- Matthew 11:28 — "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
While you're crying, He's already taking care of you. While you're agonizing, God has already made a way for you. Before you ever had enough strength to utter "God, I need you," God had already indicated, "I'm coming for people like you."
Proof? Romans 5:8: "When we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly."
Four Names That Rescue the Whole Person
Isaiah doesn't give us poetry—he gives us rescue. Notice the phrase: "His name shall be called," not "his name is." These are functional, role-based identities describing how Christ rescues every dimension of our humanity.
1. Wonderful Counselor — He Heals Your Mind
Emotional and cognitive stability come through Him:
- Isaiah 26:3 — "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee"
- Romans 12:2 — "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
- 2 Timothy 1:7 — "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"
You have a Counselor who stays up all night with you, who walks with you and talks with you—beyond any human limitation.
2. Mighty God — He Strengthens Your Will
When your own strength fails, His doesn't:
- Psalm 27:1 — "The Lord is the strength of my life"
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My strength is made perfect in weakness"
- Philippians 4:13 — "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Stop relying on your network, your education, your strategies. Lean on the Mighty God even when circumstances look unfavorable.
3. Everlasting Father — He Repairs Your Heart
Abandonment issues? Identity struggles? He's the Father who never leaves:
- Psalm 147:3 — "He healeth the broken in heart"
- 1 Peter 5:7 — "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you"
- Hebrews 13:5 — "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"
It wasn't until I faced my own abandonment issues that I found my purpose in the Everlasting Father. He reshapes your identity through enduring, faithful presence.
4. Prince of Peace — He Settles Your Troubled Heart
Jesus offers peace that guards you amid the storm:
- John 14:27 — "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled"
- Philippians 4:7 — "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds"
- Ephesians 2:14 — "For he is our peace"
It wasn't until the storms of my faith that I realized what He offers: peace that doesn't depend on circumstances.
What Should the Lonely Do This Christmas?
Here's your answer: Turn toward the One who came for you.
Stop calling everyone else first. Stop trying to fix it through your network, your strategies, your own strength. Move toward the God who moved toward you first.
Think about how many times God stepped into your situation:
- At the doctor's office when the news could have been devastating
- In your family situation when everything seemed impossible
- At the schoolhouse with your children
- In your marriage when you wanted to give up
- At church when you felt most alone
We are the most forgetful people. That's why practicing gratitude matters so much. Combat forgetfulness by thanking God regularly for His grace, mercy, open doors, and sustaining strength. The children of God ought to break out in thanksgiving—not because everything is perfect, but because He has been faithful.
The Invitation Still Stands
If you've never given your life to Christ, or if you've drifted from that covenant relationship, hear this clearly: You don't have His peace, His counsel, His strength, or His fatherly care apart from covenant relationship with Him.
The path to wholeness is clear:
- Hear the gospel (Romans 10:17 — faith comes by hearing)
- Believe (Hebrews 11:6 — without faith it's impossible to please God)
- Repent (turn from self-led systems and networks to God's leadership)
- Confess Jesus Christ as Lord
- Be baptized for the remission of sins (die to self, rise as a new creature)
Only in Christ does your loneliness meet the One who never leaves. Your weakness meets the Mighty God. Your abandonment meets the Everlasting Father. Your storms meet the Prince of Peace.
You can be a child of God and still have a broken heart. You can still wrestle with frustration. But you cannot be in covenant with Christ and truly be alone—because Emmanuel means God is with you.
Your Turn
Reflection Questions:
- Which of Christ's four names do you need most right now—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, or Prince of Peace?
- Where have you been turning to systems, strategies, or human strength instead of to God Himself?
- Can you identify three times in the past year when God "stepped into" your situation?
Challenge: This week, start a gratitude journal. Each day, write down one specific way God showed up for you—however small. Combat forgetfulness by practicing active thanksgiving.
📚 Go Deeper
Listen to the full sermon: "What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?" by Dr. Richard Price (December 7, 2025)
Related Resources:
- Study the cross-references: Exodus 3:7, Psalm 34:17, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 1:7, and more
- Explore other messages on spiritual resilience and God's presence at Barry's Bureau
What has God shown you through this message? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or reach out to us at Barry's Bureau. We'd love to hear from you.
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