Have you ever felt alone in a crowd? My subway commute is like that. It seems like the ultimate example of how loneliness is a feeling, not a fact. There are times when the subway car is so crowded with people that I need to stand the whole way to work. And yet, I feel lonely.

I’ve been commuting on the subway for months now, so I do occasionally see someone who looks familiar. But in reality, I spend over an hour each day with a bunch of strangers in a subway car—and I feel alone.

Though it is hard to explain, there’s a sadness to it. I often look around and wonder: do my fellow commuters feel as alone in this crowd as I do?

Maybe you don’t feel lonely on the subway, but you feel lonely when you return home to an empty house, or when you have to face one of life’s challenges alone. That empty or hollow feeling inside makes you feel isolated and cut off from others. Passivity can rob you of motivation and leave you in a place of despair.

But Scripture tells us in Matthew 28:20 that the Lord “…will be with you always, to the end of the age.”This passage reminds us that we are never alone.There are great rewards when we remember that Jesus Christ loves and cares for us. We feel loved, accepted and forgiven. And when we feel this way, it becomes easier for us to change our situations.

For me, this means changing my commuting situation with a smile and a greeting for my fellow passengers, or extending kindness by offering my seat to another. For you, it may mean reaching out to a pastor for prayer, calling a friend you haven’t seen in a while, keeping a journal of what you’re thankful for or looking for fun activities that involve others.

If you are experiencing loneliness today, you can look to these four Bible verses as reminders that God hears your cries and is always with you:

Deuteronomy 14:2 (GNTD)

You belong to the Lord your God; he has chosen you to be his own people from among all the peoples who live on earth.

Joshua 1:5 (GNTD)

Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you: I will never abandon you.”

Psalm 139:1-2 (GNTD)

Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.

Psalm 139:5-6 (GNTD)

You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.