“God blesses
those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
(Matt. 5:4 NLT).
Sometimes
the pain that we go through in this life seems to be beyond anything that we
can bear. It could come to us in the middle of the night as we receive a call
that one of our loved ones is not doing well and probably not going to make it.
Or it could come to us as a couple of men show up at our door in military
attire to tell us that our son or daughter has been killed in combat. Or it
could come to us through the death of a child or a miscarriage. Or it could
come to us as we hear those dreaded words from the doctor, “You’ve got cancer.”
Or our hurting might be the result of a job loss or a divorce in the family.
The reality of the matter is that
all people go through times of suffering and hurting in this life. Scripture
never questions this nor downplays it. And our realization of our pain actually
gives proof to God’s existence (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-dont-have-enough-faith-to-be-atheist_5525.html).
Yet knowing that doesn’t necessarily make our pain any easier. However, God can
bring healing to our hurts.
God
knows and understands our suffering. Not a sparrow falls without Him knowing it
(Matt. 10:29). Jesus Himself was “a Man of sorrows and familiar with suffering”
(Isa. 53:3). Likewise, just because God knows what happens to us does not mean
that He caused it to happen. God is not the author of evil (James 1:13). Even
still God promises that He will make it work out for our good as Christians in
the end (Rom. 8:28).
God cares about our suffering. Jesus
sympathizes with our pain (Heb. 4:15). He too experienced painful emotions at
the death of His friend Lazarus. John 11:35 has to be one of the most profound
verses in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” Here our all-knowing God knew that soon He
would raise Lazarus from the dead, yet He still experienced the same emotions
that we do when we mourn. This should teach us to not deny our pain, and that
He cares about what we are going through.
Beyond these things, God wants us as
faithful followers of Jesus Christ to know that He is with us in our pain, and
that one day He will right every wrong that has ever happened. One writer said
it like this: “Our comfort is derived from knowing not only He is on our
side, but that He is by our side, though He can only be seen or felt with eyes
of faith” (Victor Yap, The God of All Comfort).
Furthermore,
Billy Graham said,
“One of the most comforting truths in all the Bible to me as I travel from one
part of the world to another is to know that God has stationed His heavenly
guards to protect, guide, and lead me through life’s dangerous way. I cannot
see these beings with my physical eyes, but I sense they are present every day”
(Nelson’s
Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 27).
Life is challenging; we all will
face suffering at one point in time or another. However, if you are not a
follower of Jesus Christ, I am left with one simply question for you: what hope
or healing do you have in the midst of your pain? This is one of the many
reasons that being a Christian truly is a blessed life.
Because of His love,
Matt
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