Have you ever wondered where God is in the midst of suffering? I have. Where were you, God, when my mother first tried to kill herself? Or when I was placed in a new, abusive home, because my mother was in a psychiatric ward and my father was in jail? Why didn’t You intervene when my parents divorced? Or when I was sent to live in a new state with my mother and her new, violent, alcoholic, husband?
Where are you, God, when darkness appears? Fear. Abuse. Addiction. Depression. Childlessness. Financial strain. Shame. A broken relationship. Divorce. Cancer…the list of suffering is long. Sadly, it dims our view of God. Sorrow casts shadows of doubt. Darkness deceives us, making false images appear as real. Who is ruling? God? Or evil?
Where are you God? On My throne.
Why aren’t you doing something? I AM.
Beloved friends, God is not a ruler sitting idle on His throne. Rather than watch darkness consume us, He volunteered to go face to face with suffering, on our behalf. Surrendering to death on the Cross was not defeat but God having the upper hand. God was and is ruling!
Before we were even born, God intervened. Before diseases, famines and wars appeared, God established a strategic plan to save the world. Before Adam and Eve got their first taste of evil, God was ready to rescue them (and their offspring) from the dominion of darkness. In the midst of suffering:
God is our hope. When we feel forsaken remember God’s Word, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”
God is our refuge. When we are overwhelmed, run to Jesus who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
God is our light. When we find ourselves surrounded by darkness, hold onto God. Trust in Him. Just as a source of light is a comfort in a dark cave, Jesus, the Light of the world, is our comfort in a dark valley. “The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
For Reflection:
- Is it possible that God could have the upper hand in our suffering? Read Romans 5:3-5 in a variety of translations.
by Teresa Freding
Recommended Posts
Reflect & Respond: Week 6
January 7, 2023
What Truly Matters
January 6, 2023
True Wisdom
January 5, 2023