– C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Do you ever feel surrounded by hurting people?
Look around you now. They’re everywhere. From Haiti to your own home, people are hurting. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, people are flat worn out from dealing with pain.
Maybe it’s the person sitting in your chair.
During the darkest night of my soul, when I was sure that I could NOT handle one more miniscule drop of pain and thought I seriously just might lose my ever lovin’ mind, I did the only thing I knew to do: I ran to God. Kicking. Screaming. Crying uncontrollably. Arms flailing. Heart questioning. Desperate.
It was the smartest thing I ever did.
I opened up His Word, leaned in close, and listened with every fiber of my being. Here is what God (sweetly) shouted to me:
I Understand
As I looked closely at Jesus’ life, I drew huge comfort from the fact that He also was so deeply moved when a beloved friend died that He couldn’t keep the tears from flowing. He knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed with sorrow, to feel abandoned by His friends, and to be so undone by His circumstances that He begged God to change them. As I saw Him described as despised and forsaken, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, I knew that Jesus understood pain. God walked around this earth on human legs and felt the same kind of pain that you and I experience.
And. He. Cried.
I See and Hear YOUR Pain
God doesn’t just know pain, He knows our pain. Psalm 139 promises that He searches and knows us so intimately that He knows our very thoughts and what we’re going to say before we even say it. He cares deeply when our hearts are broken. He begs us to pour out our hearts to Him, offering to be the refuge we need.
I Will Never Leave You
When His disciples where upset that He was leaving this earth, Jesus assured them that God would follow up by forevermore sending His believers the Holy Spirit to live inside them, ensuring He’d be with us forever. Throughout Scripture He lovingly assures us that He will never leave us to manage life on our own.
I Will Take Care of You
Among His many promises, this is perhaps the most comforting for me,
“Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) No amount of pain is bigger than the God who holds onto us. That is comfort you can count on.
What has God (sweetly) shouted to you in your pain?
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ReplyDeleteGod has reminded me to keep my eyes on Him. He does not FAIL, he does not FALL, he does not CHANGE. He is our STRONG TOWER, and when it feels like everything around us is crumbling to pieces he is still there standing, by my side...
ReplyDeleteKili -
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that you too have experienced life on the Dark Side. Oh, but it is incredible to know such matchless intimacy with God, isn't it?! The reminder you had to keep your eyes on Him is THE KEY to coming through the other side. Seriously saved my sanity. I still looked like a mess - crying at the the drop of a hat, etc - BUT focusing on Him assured me that I would be okay. Thanks for sharing from your heart. Because of Him, vb
My favorite word from God during a difficult time came from our pastor and friend Rick Thompson. In the middle of a literal and figurative dark night, he prayed over me that God would remind me that I was still on Plan A. There's no Plan B with God. He's got me on his path and even if I think I've deviated from it, he's making divine sense of every seemingly senseless pain. He's not surprised or caught off guard by the difficulties I encounter and he is just waiting for me to release the apparition of control so he can begin his redemptive work. I tell myself this every time something challenging, surprising, disappointing comes along...that I'm still on Plan A. There's something very comforting in this notion for me.
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