God sovereignly intervened in my sister’s life this year to rescue her body from cancer—an obvious, even miraculous, grace. Confidence can truly be found in our hope, according to 1 John. 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. “Trusting in God in the midst of trial does not mean everything will work out. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. If you’re hurting, the Lord … 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. Sharing my story of trusting God through recurrent miscarriage, hysterectomy, and fertility loss. We have passed out of death into life; this transaction is already complete (3:14). Clearly, God had no more for my daughter to do on this earth; this was his will. Questioning God in the midst of suffering is natural, and Job did struggle with the question, “Why me, God?”. Anna wakes up at 4:30 a.m. on those days to drive him to those sessions. He is our faithful God! "I couldn't … Our mentors are not counsellors. But our spiritual needs are his present agenda, and meeting them is his will. The Bible says, “For You, O God, have proved us: You have tried us, as silver is tried” (Psalm 66:10). 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have … 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. Do you want to follow God in your pain? These verses are also an answer to prayer in my life amidst the storm of grief that has came and the longing that remains. He is Love. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have … We prayed for a miracle; we knew that our sovereign God could give us a miracle. Do you want to honor him even though the way ahead seems only uncertain? He loves us and “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). The men and women of the Bible understood this. After examination and tests, something else was found—a cyst on her pancreas. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. Suffering doesn't mean God has turned against us. Trust means looking beyond the present suffering in this earthly life to see what lies ahead. Her irritating stomach ache never returned after that first appointment. But no cancer was found. For “everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (3:3). And here is a confession, so often I cry out to God in despair because I want Him to fix things! So, how do we do that? Suffering did not change how he lived or what he believed, but it did cause him to know God more deeply than he ever had before. We do not have to wonder if he is willing to be here with us in any pain. One the biggest blessings that came about through my trial with chronic insomnia 10 years ago was learning more about God Himself and why I could trust this God. A biopsy was done. Every brother and sister will encounter trials, like illness, persecution and suffering, natural and manmade disasters. 1 Peter 5:10. When these situations befall us, they are tests of our faith and obedience toward God. David poured out his heart to God in the Psalms. "That is the kind of human being she is, a devoted person," he said. People from all over the region rushed to him and pressed against him. 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). Trust him daily. My mind was grappling for answers and our lives were in a whirlwind of chaos. (1 John 5:14-15). Because we live in a broken world, we know that suffering is a guarantee. Trusting God in the Midst of Trouble: The cross stands as the final symbol that no evil exists that God cannot turn into a blessing. But he didn’t. A trusting Him through the suffering. Have confidence. Personal implication number one. Trust Him. He sent Jesus to suffer and die. Significantly so, for when we are confronted with suffering, every true and solid confidence we can learn to claim becomes especially dear to us. Perspective During Suffering. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. Go Deeper — Are you struggling with trusting God with a difficult or painful circumstance? Just fill in the form below and one of our mentors will get back to you as soon as possible. It means that by trusting we have peace, even if the worst case scenario happens. When we ask to know that our belief is true and that our hope is real, he hears us. God used the suffering that sin brought into the world to pay sin’s price. He did not send his Son only to be unwilling afterward to make our hearts enthralled with him in a way that surpasses our circumstances with undeniable hope. The true light is already shining (2:8). 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. In Christ, our spiritual needs are met in full and our true hope transforms us. But God sees our lives from a completely different perspective. (1 John 5:14-15). 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. She went to the doctor with an irritating stomach ache that wasn’t going away. To grow solid through suffering, humble yourself before God (5:6-7). Let’s join with Job. We ask for gender and age to assign you the appropriate mentor. Keep a Right Perspective of Suffering. Jesus resurrects Lazarus, for all to see, to bring glory to God. I was reading through the book of Job this weekend and was very convicted by … I am reminded that it is real, such that this life is to be lived in view of my promised, impending future. 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. Subscribe to daily devotional emails! God has come; he has actually been here (1:1-3). True confidence can be found in the Source of our hope, according to 1 John. We who believe in him surpass the world with a faith that goes beyond it; we overcome the world (5:4). Our confidence before God in suffering goes beyond our felt-needs to spiritual needs. 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." “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; … We can be assured that he is greater than our hearts—greater than us—for he knows everything (3:20). At that glorious moment, we will see him as he is (3:2). Our true and legitimate earthly needs—even those dearly felt and desired—are not always his will to meet. Throughout history, suffering has struck all people regardless of culture, ethnicity, personality or location on earth. Connect with a mentor now! Do you want to remain confident in him? I asked the question, “Can we really trust a God like this, someone who allows a person like Job to suffer incredibly?” Human nature would say to forget about a God who would agree to inflicting pain and then abandon a man like Job when he needed God the most. 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