Allowing God in When Life is Painful

It’s a strange concept to feel the love of God more powerful than ever in the middle of your tragedy.

But this was the common theme I found when reading or listening to people who shared their sufferings with grief and loss.

There have been days where I have felt His comfort first hand. And there have been days that felt like the exact opposite. Days where I felt deserted, abandoned, forgotten, and unseen by God. Days where church made me feel better, and days where it just made me angry. Why do we keep singing about how blessed we are, about how good God is, how much He loves and how He never lets us down? Sometimes it feels offensive for these words to come out of my mouth in the middle of what feels like the deepest amount of pain a human can feel here on earth, losing a child. To say I felt letdown by God the day Ellie went to heaven would be an understatement. If anything, it made me doubt His whole existence.

Looking back now, I think that’s where God wanted me. He wanted to rebuild a relationship with me that was pure and not tainted with things I had incorrectly learned. A relationship more focused on faith than seeking proof.

Deciding to follow Jesus doesn’t mean you will live a life free of hardship. Admittedly, that’s kind of what I thought. That I would have an extra hand of protection over me and my family. As if we got special privileges somehow. That life would be pain free.

Believing in God doesn’t mean He will remove all obstacles from your life. And if that’s what you think, you’ll end up blaming God for any storm that comes your way.

John 16:33 says, “You will have suffering in this world.” Not maybe. Not possibly. But you will.

Following Jesus does mean that He will help guide us through the uncomfortable seasons. It means that He sees us and meets us in our suffering. That in the midst of our affliction and pain, He is there to comfort us.

I thought that this happened automatically. That when I would cry, when I would feel angry, when I would doubt God’s existence that because He is all knowing, He should know how I feel and comfort me accordingly. As if He owed it to me.

I missed the part where we actually have to choose to seek out God in the midst of our trouble.

God won’t tell you to like the pain you’re in, but He will ask you to accept that He has a greater purpose in the works.

Walking through pain without God is painful. Walking through pain with God is painful yet purposeful.

In the same way that a comforter lays on your bed, readily available for you to reach out and grab when you’re cold, God is there available to you in any storm.

The comforter on your bed doesn’t change the temperature in the room. If the room is cold, it’s still cold. But the comforter protects you from the cold because of the warmth it provides you.

Seeking God in your pain doesn’t remove the obstacle. But it strengthens you so you may endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

What’s the point of enduring pain?

Romans 5:3-4, “because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.”

I don’t know the purpose hidden in your pain. I still don’t know the purpose hidden in my own pain. But I know that in seeking God’s comfort, the way I experience the painful season begins to change. When I keep my focus on Him, I begin to understand that He didn’t cause this pain in my life. He’s not to blame.

That hard things in life don’t mean that He isn’t real.

God can’t work through you until He is able to work in you. In Him you will find the peace, the joy, and the comfort right in the middle on your pain.