Hey listen – I know not every situation is good. I know not everything that happens to us is fun, and I know sometimes the pain we feel from difficult circumstances we face in life can feel more physically painful than if we were actually hit by a bus.
I know sometimes we feel mad at God. I’ve been there too. Sometimes things happen to us that we don’t understand, and sometimes the people we would describe as the most humble, kind, loving human beings on the planet are those who are faced with the hardest and most unforeseen circumstances. Why is that?
The truth is, I don’t know why. And I believe there are a lot of things about God that we may never know on this side of heaven. But I do know this:
I know that God loves you, and I know that He most certainly has the power to bring good out of your situation. I know that He has the power to change your perspective and help you to see the good things that can come out of even the most brutal pain and most excruciating suffering. I know that the heartbreak you feel is REAL, but I also know that God is close to you when you are hurting.
You may have lost a loved one recently. Maybe you are divorced. Maybe you and your significant other of many years just called it quits. Maybe your teenager just ran away from home. Maybe your mom just got diagnosed with breast cancer, and you are wondering how you could even entertain the slightest thought of living life without your mom around.
I may not be able to say that I have personally experienced each and every one of those specific situations, but I can tell you that I know what it feels like to experience deep pain. Pain that feels like it will never, ever go away. Grief so strong that you wonder how you can possibly get out of bed, brush your teeth, and possibly move your feet from the bed to the floor to actually signify the beginning of a new day. I get it. Your feelings are valid, regardless of whether or not other people think they are. You feel what you feel, and sometimes it may feel like there is no one else there with you to comfort you in that pain.
I will tell you this, though. I may not always understand God, I may not know why He does the things He does, and I will probably NEVER be happy about the fact that bad things happen to good people – although I have accepted it as a result of us living in a fallen and sinful world. And guess what? You don’t have to be happy about it either. But, you can accept it. You can accept the fact that in this life there will be a level of pain and suffering that we all will experience that sometimes feels insurmountable. In this life, there will be pain, there will be hurt, and there will be tears. But even in the very depths of the most brutal evils that we witness on this earth, God is STILL God, and He is STILL good.
God is still with us even in the depths of our most signicant pains. He is with us when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He is with us when we cry, He is with us when we mourn, He is with us in our frustrations. He is with us when we believe in His goodness, and He is with us when we doubt that He is there. He is with us when we trust Him, and He is with us when we feel uncertain. He is with us in our grief, He is with us in our tears. He is with us when we sin, He is with us when we repent. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, and He will be with you in your darkest moments.
My brothers and sisters in Christ: I wish I could explain to the fullest extent every detail of every reason as to “why” bad things happen (even though I know it’s because of our free will, sometimes I still ask questions). But the truth is, I am finally beginning to make peace with the fact that I will NEVER know all the answers (not on this side of heaven, at least). I have been in seminary for over three years now, and it has taken me this long to realize that there will truly always be some things that we will NEVER know in this life. But, if we knew the answers and the “whys” behind everything, where would faith come in? If we never had to ask or wonder about those hard questions, how would we ever exercise or grow stronger in our faith?
My encouragement to you is this – lean on God in all times, in all circumstances, and trust that He is with you no matter what. Trust that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust that He cares, even when you are hurting so deeply that you wonder how you can possible move forward. Trust that God is WITH you, all you have to do is reach out to Him. Talk to Him, and tell Him you are hurting. Ask Him to change your perspective, and to show you HOW any good could possibly come out of such a hurtful situation. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart, and to give you HIS perspective.
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”, (ESV).
Psalm 34: 18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”, (NLT).
Romans 8:28: “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose”, (AMP).
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