“It is not good that the man should be alone.” This statement, found in Genesis 2:18 is often cited in the context of marriage, and it is very fitting in that context. But let’s consider the setting in which it was said. Got had placed the first man in an idyllic setting, the garden of Eden, a place teeming with life and beauty. But the man was alone, not another human being existed. That was not a healthy situation.

We have lived in a pandemic situation for two years, where we were told it was best for our health to keep our distance from one another, to avoid contact with other people as much as possible, to isolate ourselves. That may have had some effectiveness in mitigating the spread of the virus. But it seems to have caused an epidemic of loneliness.

The devil has been at work during this time of isolation, spreading rumours of conspiracies, distrust of political and health care leaders, and division between people who do not agree on the approach to take in coping with the virus.

If there is going to be a healing of this epidemic of loneliness, we need to recognize how much the devil has used the circumstances of the past two years to spread fear and mistrust. We must open our eyes to see the cloven hoof, if I can use that metaphor.

In the third chapter of the Epistle of James, he tells us that if we are feeding on information that causes strife and division, we need to step back and recognize that this wisdom is not from God, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. It is the wisdom of this world that appeals to our senses, and the force of the arguments supporting this wisdom comes from the pit of hell.

Then James tells us that the wisdom that comes from above, from God, “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

Let us have an outbreak of this kind of wisdom. That will be the antidote to the epidemic of loneliness and divisiveness.