Weekly Devotion: How to persevere with hope when you feel misunderstood and alone

By: Jessika Sanders

How can I persevere with hope when I feel misunderstood and alone?

As we continue to work our way through the book of Job, chapters 12-16 document the exchanges between a grieving Job and his friends as they struggle to understand the reason for his season of suffering. Relationships with flawed humans are often messy, and these interactions are no exception. Accusations fly. Fingers point. Feelings are hurt.

You might be wondering, how can I persevere with hope when I feel misunderstood and alone?

Though Job is not able to fully articulate how to persevere with hope when he feels so alone, with his limited understanding, he does spell it out for us as best he can.

“Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high…I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends.” -Job 16: 19, 21

Centuries before the birth of Christ, here we see Job allude to the Messiah in his prayer. Everything he describes points to Jesus and the Holy Spirit that Jesus left to dwell within us.

Let’s break it down.

The witness in heaven? 

That’s Jesus. Jesus sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3). As our sovereign God, Jesus sees all (Genesis 16:13) and He knows all too (1 John 3:20). 

The advocate on high?

That’s the Holy Spirit. In John 14:26 Jesus tells his disciples that the Father will send an Advocate to act as His representative, one that will teach them and remind them of everything. 

And finally, someone to mediate between God and me?

This is also Jesus. Hebrews 5:1-4 reminds us of the role of a High Priest, “Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs. And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.” Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us that Jesus, our Great High Priest, was made like us in every way so that He would understand our weaknesses. And though he faced all the same temptations, He did not sin and became the perfect sacrifice for us. He entered heaven, so that we could boldly approach His throne of grace for help when we need it most.

Maybe like Job you find yourself in an intense season of suffering. 

Maybe you feel misunderstood and alone; left wondering how you can persevere in hope.

We pray Job’s instinctual cry for Jesus will be a comfort to you. Though Job wrestled to get to the point of verbalizing exactly what he needed, and couldn’t even name it, you, on the other hand, know both the basis of what you need and the names of who you need! And better yet, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are available and accessible to you. And they are actively working on your behalf in every season of your life, including this one.

God, I thank you for the perfectly-designed gift of the trinity. I thank you for the gift of Jesus who was made like me in every respect so that He could empathize with my deepest suffering. I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me and is ever-so close to my broken heart, whispering truth into my darkest circumstances. God, I thank you that I am never alone. You are my Living Hope, helping me to persevere through my present sufferings which will one day pale in comparison to the glory that lay ahead. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Dig Deeper into How to Navigate What is Ahead with Real Hope

Reflection Questions:

1. How does it make you feel to know other people are praying for you?

2. How does it make you feel to know Jesus, The King of Kings, is praying for you?

   
   

Put Your Faith Into Action:

Job 16:19 says, “Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high.”

This week, we challenge you to write a list of God’s promises or characteristics you can rest in knowing He is your witness and advocating for you. Write these on an index card or a post-it note and place it somewhere you often go so you can be reminded that He is for you.

ex: God will right all the wrongs. (Romans 12:19)

      God’s plans are to prosper, not to harm. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Further Reading:

1. Hebrews 7:15-28

2. Hebrews 8

Further Reading:

Romans 8:34

Jessika Sanders is a published writer who has been featured in Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Hope When Your Heart is Heavy devotional (2021), Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. magazine (2023), and Tyndale’s So God Made a Mother (2023). She is also the co-author of The Good Book Company's, In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis ( July 2024). Jessika is also the founder and president of Praying Through ministries.