The weather conditions were favorable for a severe thunderstorm. The wind picked up, and the trees around our home swayed like they were frantically dancing. The sky had gone from the perfect shade of blue to a dark grey, filled with clouds. The air had suddenly changed, the temperature rising. As I looked out the window of my office I thought about how it felt like my life was in the middle of a storm too. My first thought was God is using it for good. (Romans 8:28).
Friend, have you experienced heartache, a prodigal, physical pain, or financial loss due to job instability or loss? God takes us through pain and storms. The pain stops me from hurting myself further. It makes me rest and helps me to slow down.
Pain
Pain comes before something beautiful, before the healing, before the mended heart, before the good stuff.
We all have pain in our lives, no one is exempt from pain, but how we deal with it depends on us. I can choose to drink my pain away or I can carry it all to the One who understands the pain. He did endure the cross, the nails, and a spear in His side. Jesus sees my pain, He knows my pain, He knows the source of my pain. He knows my past shame and hurts, and He also knows the good He will use this pain for. Pain doesn’t always go away with medicine or boundaries and forgiveness.
Sometimes we continue to experience pain, but the good news is that our pain isn’t wasted.
God Uses Our Weaknesses
God uses us in our valleys. Our weaknesses bring growth, new things, and good things come out of the suffering. God doesn’t have us experience pain because He is mean, or wants us to suffer. He is good. (God is Faithful Even When I’m Not)
Suffering
Suffering changes us and our perspective, often for the better. At other times, the suffering becomes too much for us to handle, bringing out the negativity in our lives. That wounded burdensome part of our lives that we try to hide from others. Recently while flipping through a book I’d read, I saw a quote by Christian writer and missionary Elizabeth Elliot, “Suffering is having what you don’t want or wanting what you don’t have.”
Suffering is the experience of pain, loss, distress, or death, all things no one likes to hear or endure. Some believe that suffering comes because of the sin in our lives. I don’t agree 100% with that. I think God uses suffering to take away the things that hold us at bay from Him. Suffering takes what I was holding as an idol and strips it away, leaving me standing there with Christ. Alone, in pain, enduring the suffering, just as He did.
Psalm 119
In Psalm 119 we find the unknown author of the psalm talking about suffering. “Teth. You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised.” (Psalm 119:65 NLT). Teth is the ninth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. God is good, He is a promise keeper. When He says He will, He will. It may not be a promise fulfilled immediately but He is faithful.
“I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.” (Psalm 119:67 NLT). The Lord uses suffering to discipline us, but when you endure these trials, He’s using it as discipline, not punishment. The Lord is good no matter what.
“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in good and silver.” (Psalm 119:71-72 NLT). I’ve written beside these verses “RA pain” (Rheumatoid Arthritis). The pain that I endure daily is good for me. It’s taught me to depend on the Lord’s strength, not my own.
My Own Strength
I’ve always been like a toddler, “I do it myself” attitude. The one who’s deemed independent, assertive, and confident. I used those to hide my insecurities, the shame, and the pain I was enduring. I needed something that I could control in my life, and it seemed to me I could be those things in my professional life.
Leading, confident, independent, and successful, all on my own. Things of this world. Those things came to a screeching halt after our son was born, I no longer felt independent, I needed others to help me, but stubborn as I am, I kept going. I’m not sure who I was trying to prove wrong, to show I could do it. I was not confident between my floundering marriage, a new baby, no sleep, and trying to prove to everyone that I could do it all by myself. I strove for a lot and fell a lot. Flat on my face.
When I Choose God’s Strength
But God didn’t leave me there. When I was flat on my face, I was on my knees in prayer asking God to intercede for me. There are times when life overwhelms us to the point of breaking, but just remember God is using this for His good. When we are in the trials and storms, may we crawl, kneel, run, and cling to the One who Created us. The one who breathed life into us, creating us in His image (Genesis 1:27), He isn’t going to let us stay in the pit.
God Is Faithful
God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), He is a promise keeper (Joshua 21:45). He is a healer (Psalm 103:3) and a restorer (1 Peter 5:10). God is good, even if He doesn’t do what we had hoped. The next time those storm conditions are gearing up in your life, take a moment to know that God is using this for His glory.
The healing doesn’t always come on this side of Heaven, but the strength to keep going does when we rely on the Lord.
Prayer
Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for never leaving me in the pit but holding onto me. Lord life is hard, things are overwhelming and I have a lot of pain. Draw me near to you today. Thank you, Lord, In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflections
- What do you need to release to God?
- Write out a prayer releasing this to Him.
Thank you, Nancy!
I too have manifested a toddler-like, “By Myself” attitude. It looks an awful lot like pride! But as I relinquish control and allow/invite others to help, I learn humility and they receive blessing (Acts 20:35). Thank you for the reminder, Brianna. (And Lord, help me to choose the humble way!)