When we look at the whole of Scripture, we’d be hard pressed to find many people who didn’t struggle with feelings of loneliness at some point, if not multiple times in their lives.
Job lost everything, was attacked physically, and even his wife told him to curse God and die, yet he still trusted in the Lord. Trusting when everything around you fails and everyone around you tells you you’re wrong can be a lonely place.
Elijah might’ve been one of the most famous Old Testament prophets, but when he feared for his life and on the run from Jezebel, Scripture shows us he was feeling abandoned by God.
And Jeremiah. Well now, Jeremiah knew loneliness better than most. In Chapter 1 of the Book of Jeremiah, God tells Jeremiah that his message will be rejected and he will be persecuted. The two adjectives that most characterized Jeremiah’s life are weeping and loneliness. However, the good news is that while Jeremiah might’ve had few people to walk alongside him, God—the One who called him by name—never left his side.
Loneliness can cause us to doubt God and ourselves at times, but we need to remember 3 things:
1. You can be honest with the Lord.
“I never joined the people in their merry feast. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins. Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.” (Jeremiah 15:17-18, NLT)
Jeremiah is not the first person in Scripture to ask God a “why” question. God is okay with you addressing Him about the things you don’t understand, as well as the things you do. Like a Father with his child, God wants us to come to Him with our pain and questions.
But know this: Just because you ask it, doesn’t mean you’re going to get the answer that you want—or even an answer at all. Sometimes God answers us with Truths for us to bank on. Other times, He challenges us like He did Jeremiah in 12:5:
“If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” (NLT)
God tells Jeremiah: Persevere. Keep going. This life I’ve called you to is by no means easy, but there is a purpose for every bit of it. You’d better buck up if you’re going to work with me, son. There will be more injustices ahead. I see them all; I’m over them all. Nothing has escaped my gaze.
There’s much to be learned from the chats Jeremiah had with the Lord. Ultimately, those intimate conversations between the two did one thing—they continually brought Jeremiah’s focus on the only One who could make sense of what he was going through.
2. We must trust Him and know that He is enough.
Jeremiah’s boldness and candor in his conversations with God were a result of how closely he walked with Him. He knew God’s faithfulness; he had seen it over and over in his own life and in the way He dealt with Judah.
Regardless of whether God would answer him in a gentle, loving manner or tell him to shake the dust off and get back in the game, Jeremiah knew God was good and could be trusted above all else. Dwelling on truths about His unwavering goodness cannot be overdone. The Psalms can be a balm to your parched soul during a difficult season of loneliness.
People talk a lot about God being “enough”—and it’s easy to trust that in times of plenty. But in seasons of loneliness, that belief can be tested. He can be trusted to work out His good and perfect plan for your life, friend. More than any person you know, He can be trusted. And if you’re finding yourself in a season of loneliness, trusting that He is enough for you will make this season so much sweeter.
3. Our lives are a testimony to others.
He is taking your life—your joys and your pain—and crafting it into a story that displays His glory and His faithfulness. Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are cheering you on, you are. (Hebrews 12:1) Trust what you know to be True and not your feelings. Loneliness is hard and painful and can get very dark if you allow the Enemy to distract you, but this loneliness was allowed into your life in order for you to reflect the Light.
Through this season, may your story be one of a loving, faithful, and near Savior who met your every need.
[Editor’s Note: This post is an excerpt from our free eBook, When Will I Get Married? (and 8 Other Questions that Plague Singles). Sign up in the box below to become a SingleRoots email subscriber and download your free copy today!]
If you know someone who is struggling with loneliness, would you email them this post?
