Is there such a thing as spiritual loneliness?

I've been wrestling with a concept lately, wondering if it's a legitimate condition or something that has bled over from our culture. It's the idea of spiritual loneliness. Upon hearing that phrase, some might immediately respond: We can't be lonely--in a spiritual sense--if we're in a relationship with God.

That may be true.

However, reading about some of the old-timers like D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and his book “Spiritual Depression” and others makes me think it's not only possible but maybe even unavoidable to experience some type of spiritual loneliness during our lives.

As best I can define it, spiritual loneliness is a condition where someones doesn't necessarily feel separated from God. Nevertheless, a person experiences seasons in which their soul may be prone to wander or question and they want nothing more than to be able to express those feelings to someone. Not feeling particularly comfortable with or attached to someone and unable to express those issues, that person enters into a time when those questions and doubts can lead to spiritual loneliness.

Coupled with that condition is a fear that no one will ever hear their story, the complete story of who they are and how they were shaped--the incredibly unique story of how they came to be and what they are becoming.

No easy answers come to mind to address spiritual loneliness, other than making sure we all are available to someone who is in the midst of those wanderings and questions.