Morning, friends!! I hope you had an amazing Monday and I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start.
This weekend I heard an amazing message about why we go through painful experiences and where is God in those situations.
The speaker said something that I’ve repeated in my head over and over again.
The presence of pain does not mean the absence of God. Read that again, the presence of pain does not mean the absence of God.
So many times when we go through things and we ask ourselves, where is God? Why am I going through this?
The answer is SIN. Because of the whole Eve ate the apple event, sin came into the world. We could unpack that, but we will leave that for another day.
What I want us to really focus on this morning is, where is God in our pain?
The speaker used the story of Lazarus. Mary and Martha were so upset and told Jesus that had he been there, their brother would not have died. As Jesus looks around and sees everyone so upset about the death of Lazarus, we find the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, Jesus wept.
He wept. He felt their pain. He knew what he was about to do yet He still wept. He was moved by their heartache. He was right there with them.
And friend, that’s where Jesus is in your pain. He is right there with you. At times you may not feel Him or see Him moving, but His Word is true and it tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He tells us that we can take heart because He has overcome the world.
Sin brings sorrow, pain and heartache, but Jesus brings joy, comfort and peace. And the best thing is that He promises us a life without pain. A life where we will live forever with Him.
Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Yes, sin came into the world but God loved us so very much that He gave us a Savior. A savior who conquered death! We may experience pain here, but we do not experience it alone.
God does not leave us in our horrible circumstances. He’s with us every step of the way. Hold on to Him. Do not let go and do not take your eyes off of Him. Believe Him at His word that says in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
It doesn’t mean that your pain is good, it means that goodness will come from your pain. Your pain will not be in vain. Trust Him.
The speaker also said at the end of the message that he knew his message was intellectually satisfying, but not emotionally satisfying.
I know that the “christian answer” many times doesn’t comfort us. But I think that’s when we have to dig in deep and force ourselves to trust God. And how do we do that? We get in His word, we fall on our knees and pray and we surround ourselves with other people who are like minded that will pray and encourage us in our pain.
Life is hard. I know. Don’t do it alone.
How can I pray for you today? Head over to my instagram and send me a direct message or comment below.
I hope you all have a great day!
XO