Read Message

bigmike

God Is Not Indifferent to Your Pain
“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19).
In many ways the problem of suffering is more difficult for Christians to deal with than for non-Christians. Why? The Christian believes that nothing happens apart from the will of God, that He is sovereign and all-powerful, and— bottom line—that God is good, loving and kind. The non-Christian dismisses the intervention of God in the affairs of our world—at best, considers Him only to be a disinterested spectator, either too weak or too remote to do much about the problem of pain.
When suffering strikes, you as a Christian are apt to think, “God, why me? I’m your child. Don’t I deserve better than this?” We often forget that history tells us some of God’s choicest servants suffered, from Old Testament days to the present, that God hasn’t really cut a deal with you that says, “OK, if you follow me, I’ll deliver you from the pain which inflicts people and puts them flat on their back in bed.”
The problem of pain is further compounded by a mind-set which is as old as the book of Job, which goes, “Prosperity and blessing mark the godly, poverty and suffering are a curse upon the wicked!” If you have grown up with that teaching, you feel guilty and abandoned by God when the doctor says, “You have an inoperable cancer,” or you get word that your son was involved in a serious automobile accident, or your husband has been laid off work.
There is a truth that needs to be a foundation stone of your life, an anchor to your soul, and a compass for your feet. Simply put it is this: that suffering is not a curse and prosperity is not necessarily a reward bestowed upon the righteous. An equally important truth that flows from the bedrock of God’s nature and character is that He is not indifferent to your pain and does not ignore your plea for help when you hurt.
So how do we know this? Two ways: First, the solid testimony of Scripture which has comforted God’s people in times of trial for two thousand years plus. It tells me God is not indifferent to my pain and my suffering. Make a note of these, which are but a small sample of the many statements found in the Bible. Start with the book of Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Israel. Read Psalm 27, Psalm 34, Psalm 55. “In the time of trouble, He will hide me,” said David. “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all” he adds in Psalm 34.
Isaiah 53 talks about the terrible suffering of Jesus the Messiah, and the writer of Hebrews uses that to express the tenderness and compassion Jesus has for those who suffer—He’s been there, He’s experienced it (See Hebrews 4:15-16). Read Hebrews 11, then Peter’s letters, which he devoted to the undeserved suffering of God’s children. Pointedly he says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Could it be clearer?
There is a second way that you can know God is not indifferent to your pain and suffering. Listen to the testimonies of some of God’s choicest servants who have been there. Read C. S. Lewis; Phil Yancey; Joni Erickson Tada, whose remarkable life is a picture of grace painted on the backdrop of pain. Learn about Fanny Crosby, the blind songwriter who gave us more than 9000 beautiful songs. Find out about John Bunyan, who spent seven long years in a Bedford jail, and read Pilgrim’s Progress, the book that flowed from his experience. You will discover, God cares and He is not indifferent, and He will walk with you through your pain.
Resource reading: 1 Peter 2.

Date: