What Does it Look Like to 'Do Justice, Love Mercy, and walk Humbly' Today? A family and friend reunited. Trusting in the wait. All Things for Our Eternal Good But three years ago, I sat in a delivery bed at the maternity wing of our hospital with a nurse circling and circling my full-term belly with her monitor—searching for a heartbeat. Job expressed deep anguish in the midst of incredible grief and suffering. How many times does God have a purpose in events that seem senseless when they happen? For “everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (3:3). When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 The Message Do you know that your Redeemer lives and that he will come again to receive you into eternal glory, even though your earthly body will be destroyed? The Bible is clear that we go through seasons in life, and one of the seasons that God talks about again and again is the season of waiting. It is in those times that through our faith we trust that God must have a plan, that there must be a greater purpose to our suffering. It is through the suffering of Christ that His followers’ sins are atoned for. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. The cyst was larger than anticipated, requiring not only a third of her pancreas, but also her spleen, and a portion of her colon to be removed. This is the power of the God. When we ask to know that our belief is true and that our hope is real, he hears us. To grow solid through suffering, humble yourself before God (5:6-7). God has come; he has actually been here (1:1-3). Yet, there is confidence in prayer before God. Let us join with Job and affirm with all of our hearts the absolute sovereignty of God in our suffering. Tag: trusting in God through suffering. The men and women of the Bible understood this. Ralph is a double amputee and stroke survivor who needs dialysis three days a week. Now, distressed believer, why has God given these reasons for confidence? While we look forward to the joyful times, our suffering has the potential to draw us closer to the Lord … if we choose to steward that season well. But God sees the good in going through discipline and trials. Anna wakes up at 4:30 a.m. on those days to drive him to those sessions. Trust him daily. He is able to make all of us both whole and holy, and one day his work that was foreshadowed in my sister’s case will be completed in every aspect of our existence. In February, a Texas newspaper wrote about a couple that had “endured multiple strokes, two amputations and countless dialysis treatments.” Anna, 60, and Ralph, 59, have been married for 36 years. 10 Marriage Goals Every Couple Should Have for 2021, This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright © 2021, Crosswalk.com. Trust and Obey: Loving God Through Suffering By Chris Carpenter CBN.com Program Director. Trust him hourly and learn to trust him moment by moment. After examination and tests, something else was found—a cyst on her pancreas. (2:28). By submitting, I accept The Life’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Job knew truths about God that allowed him to trust God and “maintain his ways” before him, just as he always had done. David poured out his heart to God in the Psalms. Questioning God in the midst of suffering is natural, and Job did struggle with the question, “Why me, God?”. The Bible says, “For You, O God, have proved us: You have tried us, as silver is tried” (Psalm 66:10). (1 John 5:14-15). Remember God’s Character. For more information about subscriptions, click here. Jesus resurrects Lazarus, for all to see, to bring glory to God. All throughout the Bible, we see God’s people “meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. While you’re waiting, God is working. The true light is already shining (2:8). These verses are also an answer to prayer in my life amidst the storm of grief that has came and the longing that remains. God knows we’re prone to grasp for certainty in all the wrong places, and that could be why he litters the Bible with reminders not to fear or be anxious. We do not have to wonder if he is willing to be here with us in any pain. - Luke 10:27. Personal implication number one. In him, our spiritual needs are met in full, and we see that our true hope is what transforms us. It means that by trusting we have peace, even if the worst case scenario happens. One fear that clouds the minds of many suffering … God knows you need somewhere to go … Scripture teaches us that in our sovereign God’s loving hands, no suffering we face is ever purposeless, no matter how it seems at the moment. Sharing my story of trusting God through recurrent miscarriage, hysterectomy, and fertility loss. Trust in the midst of trial is a result of a Spirit filled life.” – Andy Stumbo. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We have a song to sing. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2; When we trust in God we are not afraid. Our God is good and has good plans for us, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). 1 Peter 5:10. Used with permission. Her irritating stomach ache never returned after that first appointment. “Therefore” connects 5:5 with 5:6 & 7. He sent Jesus to suffer and die. Suffering doesn't mean God has turned against us. I am reminded that it is real, such that this life is to be lived in view of my promised, impending future. My daughter’s residency in heaven brings me increasingly and consistently to the light of my eternal salvation. Do you want to follow God in your pain? She serves with Hope Mommies, a non-profit organization sharing the hope of Christ with bereaved mothers, and is editor of Of Larks, a blog for theologically-minded women writers and readers. We prayed for a miracle; we knew that our sovereign God could give us a miracle. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have … "I couldn't … We can be assured that he is greater than our hearts—greater than us—for he knows everything (3:20). Let’s join with Job. He chose to make my daughter whole and holy before she breathed at all. We all have our own ideas of what is good. Hannah complained loudly about her childlessness. She went to the doctor with an irritating stomach ache that wasn’t going away. Surgery was required. It is a mystery to the world how God would show forth his Glory on a cross. Because we live in a broken world, we know that suffering is a guarantee. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; … They are ordinary Christians willing to step out in faith and join people on their spiritual journey in a compassionate and respectful manner. When we trust in God we find strength. What Is Emotional Purity and How Can You Protect It? Written by Tricia Patterson 05 Nov, 2012. God used the suffering that sin brought into the world to pay sin’s price. His resources will not only get you through, but you will truly grow to experience him as the source of overflowing hope "by the power of the Holy Spirit." Subscribe to daily devotional emails! “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain my own ways before Him.” - Job 13:15, I remember sitting in a seminary class with 6 or 7 other students and my prof, discussing the book of Job. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? When we ask that the reality of being fully alive in him might overwhelm us so that we can live to the praise of his glory when in pain, he hears us. Scripture, or the Bible, is God’s Word. Clearly, God has more for her to do on this earth; this was his will. We ask for gender and age to assign you the appropriate mentor. At 4:30 a.m. trusting god through suffering those days to drive him to fix things our true hope transforms us will. 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