![]() Many friends gathered overnight in the hospital chapel to pray, sing and encourage each other as we awaited updates from the surgery in progress. Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close–(as in super glue- stuck tightly to you close) to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I need to meditate on the fact of his closeness today.Ī few years ago our family was in a hard place. Throughout the day reflect on this trait. Ask God to show you one character trait of His to focus on that day. It’s helpful to use a paper Bible instead of a device for your daily devotions. He feels lost from God, but in his anger and hurt he always turns back to who God is and dwells on His character.įor many years I have read a Psalm every day. I love the Psalms because David, who wrote many of them, is so honest. And so I turn to the Scriptures, particularly the Psalms. In my own life I find it’s so easy to let my current issue (or pain) grow bigger in my head than my God. He said to the parents, “Give her something to eat.” (Luke 8:55.) Jesus is practical, and we can be too. I often think of Jesus’s words after he raised a little girl from the dead. This simple event refreshed her soul because it got her away from her situation for a time and enlarged her world. She needed a break, so she went to her kid’s school and read stories during story time. ![]() My friend sat by her husband in the hospital for over 2 weeks. It’s easy for our own world to shrink in the middle of a hard time. Get a babysitter and go to a happy movie with girlfriends. Refreshment comes when we get away from our issue, even briefly.Ī mother shut up with several toddlers in the bleak midwinter needs a break.It may take time to see them, but God has lots of time. Paul tells us, “God will use all things (even the tragic things) for good for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Ask Him to show you the good that has come from your hurts. It’s worth reading her books and sharing her story with your children. Joni Erickson Tada, a quadriplegic for 50 years, has much to say on suffering. When we suffer in a specific way, we will find a deep comfort by spending time with someone else who has experienced a similar situation.Īnd our pain is strangely redeemed when we reach out to another person who is hurting. Paul tells that He is the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others in their troubles. I imagine he wept for his own pain for his friend but also for Lazarus’s sisters Mary and Martha and the many friends who were grieving. He even knew he was going to raise him from the dead yet still he wept. When Jesus’s friend Lazarus died, He wept. Because of this He is able to comfort those who come to Him in any situation. (Hebrews 2:17-18 4:14-16) Physical pain, loneliness, misunderstanding, rejection, a sense of failure-the list goes on. The scriptures tell us that when He was on earth, He experienced everything that we will, yet without sin. (Romans 8:22-25) One day He will wipe away every tear (Revelation 7:17) and all will be made right. A world infected with sin, sicknesses, and unspeakable horrors. But they have and there are many situations worse than ours. When we are in great pain it’s easy to feel alone in our suffering, to say to ourselves, No one else has felt like this. Suffering is a natural part of life on earth. Really?īehind every photo is someone well acquainted with pain or even in serious pain while she posts. It’s easy to forget this when we look at her photos on Instagram. Along the way I’ve discovered a few things that have helped me navigate these seasons of hurt. So what do we do in times like this? How do we persevere? Where do we find comfort?īecause I’m older, (a grandmother!), I’ve lived long enough to have experienced much pain in my own life and in walking alongside friends in crisis. This happens to most of us, many times during our lifetime.
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