What should you do when you go through a season of loneliness? The answer is illustrated in the life of Paul in 2 Timothy 4, when he was in prison and awaiting his execution.

When you go through a season of loneliness, you want to make the most of your time.

That means making the best of a bad situation. Resist the temptation to do nothing. Take some action—any kind of action. Try to think of creative ways to take advantage of the seasons in which you are alone.

Paul wrote to Timothy from prison and told him, “When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers” (2 Timothy 4:13 NLT). 

In a season of loneliness, Paul wanted to be productive. Even though he was lonely, he didn’t throw a pity party. He didn’t complain or give up. Paul is one of the greatest Christians who ever lived; he’d won countless people to Christ, and yet he was completely alone in his final days. He made the best of the situation by deciding to utilize his time. This verse records him saying two things:

1. “Bring my coat.” The Roman prisons were damp, dark, and cold. Paul did what he could to take care of himself. When we are lonely and depressed, we don’t always take very good care of ourselves—physically or emotionally. We don’t exercise. We don’t rest well. We don’t eat right. Just because you’re lonely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of yourself.

2. “Bring my books.” Paul was a people person. He didn’t like to be alone; it wasn’t the way God wired him. Being in solitary confinement in a Roman prison was the opposite of where he wanted to be. Yet he did the best he could. He wrote letters that today are included in the New Testament. Maybe the only way God could slow him down was to put him in solitary confinement. Over 2,000 years later, we’re still benefiting from how Paul used his time when he was lonely.