Suffering pushes us into the arms of Jesus, and that’s exactly where we need to be.
I grabbed the water hose and began filling up my bucket on that steamy September evening. Even with my dim sight, I could still enjoy the vibrant yellow mums as I breathed in the fragrance of petunias. As I watered the flowers, I prayed out loud concerning my back pain. By the time I reached the other end of our patio, I was no longer walking. A sudden sharp pain shot through my left leg, causing me to crawl. Since the grass was closer than the door, I laid there crying. Then the Lord’s prayer came to my mind: "He makes me lie down in green pastures" (Psalm 23:2 NIV).
I felt God’s presence. After I calmed down, I made it to the door.
That day I began a journey of pain that has not ceased.
The first diagnosis was sciatica, caused by a herniated disc. During these months of pain, I have learned how to lean on the Lord, and I want to share that with you, my friend.
Perhaps, you are suffering with physical pain. Is your suffering emotional? Is your heart breaking over circumstances you cannot change? I pray something you read will bring hope in your time of suffering.
1. Draw Close to God
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." (James 4:8 NIV)
This sounds simple, but our busy lives make it difficult. I recall lazy summer evenings when my parents sat on the front porch. Neighbors stopped by and visited for a while. They had time, unlike us. With today’s modern conveniences, we should have more than enough time to relax, but we don’t.
That means if we want to draw close to God, we must be intentional about making that time. During the summer leading up to September, I had spent every evening out on the patio, praying to God. It became such a habit that when my husband let my guide dog outside, she immediately came around the house and found me on the swing. Those times with God and my morning quiet time, gave me a firm foundation to face the months ahead.
Yet, it wasn’t enough. I needed God more. I longed for Him every morning when every joint was stiff and taking one step was miserable.
Suffering pushes us into the arms of Jesus, and that’s exactly where we need to be.
Are you spending more and more time with God? Find a time and place where you won’t be interrupted, and guard that time. God will reward you for drawing near to Him. He is the Source of our comfort, power, strength, joy, and hope. We need His closeness.
2. Get to Know God
While we draw close to God, we get to know Him more. In the Bible, the word know has the connotation of an intimate relationship. Read the Bible for intimacy, not information. It’s a love letter from the Divine Author written especially to us.
Paul wrote to the Philippians:
"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..." (Philippians 3:10 NIV)
We get a glimpse of Paul’s sufferings here. He wrote this epistle while sitting in a prison cell. Paul desired to know God intimately because Paul wanted to experience God’s resurrection power. That sounds great. We can all get on board with Paul and desire the resurrection power. Of course, we would rather avoid suffering, but there’s a connection between the two. He needed the power to persevere through his tribulations.
Suffering brings us the best opportunity to know Christ more. I have thought many times about how Christ must have felt during the beatings He endured. Then He experienced one of the most excruciating forms of death. According to Patricia Willoughby, excruciating means “out of the cross or crucifixion."
We cannot know His resurrection power apart from knowing the pain. Use suffering as a time to know Christ more.
3. Praise God
“Please help me, Jesus!” In the midst of stabbing pain, that’s my cry. I‘m not counting my blessings and shouting praises.
Some of you have probably been in a church that closed their services by singing a doxology. It’s a praise to God, and we find such praises throughout Scripture.
The Lord’s Prayer ends with one: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13b NKJV)
The times we don’t feel like praising God are when we need to praise Him most. Paul and Silas sang in their prison cell with their legs bound in stocks. David praised God throughout the Psalms while Saul hunted him down. He even praised God in his lowest moments:
"I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence."
(Psalm 9:1-3 NKJV)
While suffering, I turned to the Psalms for encouragement. I began praying using the words of the Psalmists.
Praise is a vital part of prayer because God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3). Paul Penned this command:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)
He didn’t tell us to rejoice over our problems but to always rejoice and pray. He didn’t tell us to give thanks for suffering, but while we suffer, we should give thanks for the blessings we have and the ones still to come.
4. Trust God
Trusting God comes easy until the day you get that phone call, hear that diagnosis, or your world turns upside down. Then faith becomes difficult.
Can we trust God with complete faith while the enemy’s darts of worry and fear are extinguished with the shield of faith?
Yes, we can. We read about it in the Bible. The three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship the gold image, and they faced the fiery furnace believing God would deliver them (Dan. 3:17). Abraham never questioned God but obediently followed His instructions when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Gen. 22:3). Joseph trusted God for thirteen years while none of his dreams transpired, and he went from the pit to the prison before going to the palace. The woman with the issue of blood believed her twelve years of suffering would end with just one touch of the hem of Jesus’s robe (Mark 5:27-29).
When I want to remove the doubts brought on by fear and worry, I implement the three Rs: reveal the lie, remove the lie, and replace the lie with God’s truth. When Satan whispers fear, we must reveal it as a lie. Don’t allow it to linger in your thoughts. Remove it, and find a Bible verse that contradicts the lie, repeat it, memorize it, but keep it handy.
My favorite verses are:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)
5. Listen for and to God
God doesn’t expect perfection from us, but He gave us the Holy Spirit to live holy and upright lives. Sin invites demonic activity and interferes with our blessings and answers to prayers. We may have something in our lives that we don’t recognize as sin, but once He puts His holy finger on it, revealing it, we must repent.
Sin can include attitudes, pride, and bitterness. So, we listen to God like obedient children wanting to please our heavenly Father.
We also must listen for God. Prayer is not a one-way street. It resembles an interstate with northbound and southbound lanes running parallel. I tend to race through my prayers, end with “Amen,” and move on to the next thing. During the past few years, I have sat in silence, giving God time to speak after I pray.
I also pray with an open Bible. Of course, I actually use the Bible app on my cell phone, but you get the idea. His Word prompts me on what to pray. It convicts me of sin, and yes, He speaks through His Word. Perhaps I’ve asked for guidance, and as I read through Scripture, the answer becomes clear.
Sometimes, when we listen for Him, we also have to listen to Him. When He prompts us to step out and do a new thing, we need to be obedient and follow through. It might be to cook dinner for someone or start teaching a Sunday School class. Do you need to start listening for God to speak?
I have found when I spend time doing these five things: drawing near to God, getting to know God, praising God, trusting God, and listening to Him and for Him, I am drawn closer to God and His comfort in times of suffering. God has a purpose for our times of pain, but He also desires to be the One who helps and gives us comfort.
How can you implement something new into your time with God? Can you develop a lifestyle of praise and trust? I promise you will be blessed.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Marcos Calvo
