Jesus once said,
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).
What is the truth about how God’s love for us is related to the personal pain we will experience in our lives? There are several strands in the cord of divine truth concerning suffering which offer a lifeline of hope for ongoing intimacy with God in the midst life’s unavoidable adversities.
The seed of sin planted in this world in the garden of Eden continues to bear fruit until now. In the general sense, human suffering is a result of the fall of man. When we get home to heaven there won’t be any more pain, (see Revelation 21:4) but for the time being we still live on foreign soil, where pain goes with the territory.
The fact that one may be a Christian doesn’t exempt him from problems.
Jesus, Himself, said,
“In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Faith in Christ doesn’t insulate us from the stinging experiences of life. It does, however, equip us to face our problems with confidence that His loving attention will guide us through those difficult circumstances. Faith seldom answers the “why” of our problems, but instead offers the answer to “how” when we wonder about surviving our circumstances.
God loves you so much that He will always work in your circumstances when you suffer.
Don’t think that because He doesn’t eliminate the problem, help isn’t being given. Sometimes His most helpful acts in our lives occur when He goes with us through our circumstances instead of delivering us out of them.
I have sometimes prayed about various circumstances, saying, “Father, this hurts too much for it to be wasted. Please accomplish the maximum good in this situation that can be done.”
When you hurt, Jesus Christ grieves with you in your pain.
Don’t make the mistake of believing that if God really cared, He would deliver you out of your painful situation. Remember that He didn’t even rescue Jesus from the cross as He suffered, because He knew its ultimate centrality in salvation.
God loves you so much that He won’t take away the pain if it serves a greater purpose in your life. Instead, He will walk the path of pain with you, and in the person of the Comforter (see John 14:16) will sustain you each step of the way.
When we honestly believe that God knows and cares about every detail of our lives; when we understand that He is deeply touched by our weaknesses (see Hebrews 4:15); when we are convinced that He hurts when we hurt; when we know these things, intimate fellowship with Him will be the natural experience in our pain.
Jesus Christ longs for you to feel His love at the darkest times of your life.
This post was taken from a subject I wrote about in my book, A Divine Invitation. I hope you’ll check it out.
