A Prayer for Loneliness in a New City

Lord, I do not know a single face here. I eat lunch alone in a parking lot, I take the long way so I do not have to ask for directions, and at night the unfamiliar sounds outside my window remind me how far from home I am.

I confess I miss the kind of friendship where I did not have to explain myself, the people who already knew my story. Starting over at making friends feels exhausting and a little humiliating.

So I bring You this strange new map. You went ahead of Your people into unknown country and never sent them anywhere You were not already going. You are not a stranger to this street.

Steady me as I build a life from scratch. Send me one person, one open door, one small belonging. Be the courage I need to say hello, for You command me to be strong because You go with me wherever I go.

I release the home I left and the loneliness of this in-between. You are already at home in this city, and because You are with me, I am not actually a stranger here at all. Amen.