A recent tragic event has entered my world. Not involving me directly but penetrating my heart and temporarily taking up residence there. It started me thinking about suffering. As I prayed this morning, that was the word that came out of my mouth, “suffering.”
This is what the bible says about suffering.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Reading over these passages, I ask myself, do the words console me? Yes, because I believe them. For someone who does not believe, the world can be a devastatingly frightening and miserable place. I can’t imagine getting through this life without knowing God.
Do you remember the song, “I never promised you a rose garden?” I do. It basically reminds us that life is unfair, bad things happen and we were never assured that everything would always be okay. I hope you were never told that because that would just be cruel. Life is hard!
Before becoming a Christ follower, I still believed in God. I still spoke to God and prayed to God. So when disaster struck, I would turn to him for help, for comfort, for assurances that I would make it through whatever I was going through. I can’t imagine not being able to reach out to him.
Now as a devoted follower of Christ, I know he is always with me. Instead of praying to a bearded old man in the sky, I can access him by looking within. I am never without him. He walks with me, communicates with me (even when I am not paying attention) and holds me when I am in pain.
He reminds me of his presence when I am frightened. A couple of years ago I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible belly pain. I couldn’t sleep. I paced the floor while my husband lie sleeping in the bed. I did not want to wake him. I wanted to will the pain to stop. Because I was so tired, I tried lying down again. I was afraid. What if I die? I looked to my left and into my walk- in closet. I have a window in that room. The night sky was clear (unusual for that time of year in Portland). It projected the light through the window pane and onto the wall. Because of the horizontal and vertical grids on the glass, the projected image was that of a cross. I had never noticed it before. But it was crystal clear that night. God was letting me know that he was there with me and not to be afraid.
Life is unpredictable, ever changing. Sometimes things happen to us that are painful. Sometimes joyful. It is all part of life. We must be ready for the rough seas, the strong winds, being knocked off our feet. How do you do that? Turn to God. He is always there and always listening. Take comfort in knowing that. You can find solace in knowing that in the form of Jesus, God suffered greatly in order to understand our suffering. He provides comfort to us in times of great need so that we are equipped to provide it to others. See how that works?
When you are engulfed by pain and sorrow, know this; it will not always hurt as badly as it hurts now. It will not last forever. There is a God who loves you and wants to carry you through your suffering. All you have to do is ask. God bless.