Purpose for the Pain

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Romans 8:35,37

When going through times of trouble, periods of persecution or interludes of sadness, I often cease to feel God's presence.  My own anguish threatens to envelope me, sealing me off from the Lord's presence. 

But He never left me.  He is always there, rather it is I who left Him.  Not intentionally, as in, "I don't need Him anymore, I can do this on my own."  Instead, it's more of a, "woe is me, how did I get in so deep?  I cannot find my way out of this mess."  

My focus becomes entirely consumed by the problems and I don't see, feel or sense God anymore.  I am drowning in the issues of life.

But hard times don't need to separate me from God, instead they can be tools that serve to strengthen my relationship with Him. 

Draw Me Closer

When times of trouble come, it is easy for me to allow the difficulties to take control.  Soon, I am overwhelmed and can see no way out.

If, instead, I intentionally take a moment and seek God, I will find that He is still present, in control and waiting for me to call on Him.  As the psalmist described God's desire for us in Psalm 50:15,  he records God's proclomation. ". . .call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

God is ready to act but it takes a step of faith for me to give a problem to Him before He will get involved.  His desire is to draw me closer, and many times the hardships are the only thing that will turn me toward Him.  Otherwise, I am completely content to live my life as it is. 

God uses adversity to draw me closer, but I must not let the troubles take control lest they overwhelm me.  If I intentionally turn away from the problem, and focus on Him as the solution, I will find Him there, closer than I ever realized.

Struggles are God's way of teaching me to cry out to Him.

Grow my Faith

When I was pregnant with triplets and on bedrest in the hospital, I learned quite a few things about babies under stress.  I found out that baby girls seem to withstand difficult pregnancies better than boys, that multiples tend to develop faster, and that the baby under the most stress seems to fare the best.   Infants born with multiple problems and low birth weight often have a better chance than those born early but with less difficulties.  The stress of the struggle tends to give the baby a better chance of survival.

It is the same with me.  If I never experienced any hard times, my faith would be weak.  I'd never get the chance to test it out! 

Trials are not simply there to make life interesting.  They are opportunities to trust God, to believe that He will do as He promised.  Difficulties give me a chance to see God in a whole new way, giving me more faith.

English clergyman George Herbert is known to have said, "Storms make oaks take deeper roots."  I want to have deep roots that draw from the living water that never goes dry.

As I go through the storms of life, instead of despairing, I can rejoice.  God is giving me another opportunity to trust Him and grow the roots of my faith.

Experience His Comfort

I remember the times when I skinned my knee, stubbed my toe or hurt myself in some way as a child.  I would then get to see a different side of my dad.  He would lighten the mood by calling for, "Dr Shane, Dr Shane, please come to the treatment room!"  Then he would lovingly clean my wound, instantly putting me at ease and making me feel better.  Everything was going to be okay!

God is the same way!  When I am hurt, I can turn to Him and He will comfort me.  As David wrote in Psalm 34:18, " The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

God provides hard times as a chance to get to know Him better.  I would never become familiar with His caring, gentle side if I didn't experience hardships.  

Difficulties are often seen as the bane of my existence, but in reality I can look at them as an opportunity to draw closer to God, to grow my faith and to experience His comfort.  There is a purpose for the pain!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will take whatever come to me today as an opportunity to learn more about God.

How do I let troubles take control instead of turning to God and letting Him handle them for me?

When have I experienced the God of all comfort?

Life Sucks!



“ 'I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart!

I have overcome the world.' ”

John 16:33

I, like all humans, have a lot of problems.  My body is wearing out as I grow older, money is tight, family relationships are strained at times, people can be mean and hurtful, friends move away, loved ones die. . . and this is not  to even mention that my belief in Jesus places me in conflict with the principles of this world.  Put this all together, and the conclusion is that life is hard!  

But we can't say we weren't warned.  Jesus prepared us for the opposition we would receive from those who don't know Him.  But we can take comfort in knowing that He has gone before us, and in conquering the power of death and sin when He died on the cross, He also conquered our problems.   All the difficulties that I face in this world have already been defeated by Jesus!  There is nothing I can face that Jesus has not already succeeded in conquering. 

Jesus warned us about the harsh realities of following Him in a world that hates Him.  He did this so that we would ultimately understand the power that is within us.

The World Hates Us

It was important for Jesus to help us understand that we won't be accepted by those who don't know Him.  In America, persecution is limited to financial retribution or shunning, banishment or exclusion from certain segments of society.  But in other parts of the world, persecution means forced labor, poor living conditions, arrests, beatings and even death.  There is no mistaking that the world hates us as much as it hated Jesus when He walked the earth.

Why would anyone want to follow One who puts me in that position of being hated?  "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Jesus is my only hope for a relationship with my Father in heaven, and deliverance from the penalty of death my sin earns.  Without Jesus, I have an eternity devoid of all good and filled with unthinkable suffering. 

Hatred from the world is a small price to pay for this unspeakable gift!  But how can I withstand the difficulties without buckling under the pressure or spend my life huddled in the corner like a quivering mass of gelatin?

We are Conquerors

Living in a world that opposes everything I believe in does not mean I have to live my life in fear or as a second-class citizen.  In my heart, I can go through the difficulties of life with the quiet confidence that Jesus displayed.  He did not panic, lash out in anger, or run away from His accusers.  This is because He knew the plan, and He knew that in the end, His love wins!

The apostle Paul addressed the root of this attitude of triumph.  In Romans 8, his words remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.  Not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword. (v 35)  That pretty much covers anything we can face during a lifetime.  Knowing that the overwhelming love of God is constantly with me can give me courage.  And that is how I can face my problems as a conqueror.

When I think of a conqueror, I imagine a Roman soldier living in Jesus' time.  Even though he is from a foreign land, he would exhibit an attitude of confidence and assurance, knowing that Caesar and the entire Roman Army would back him up.  He had a sense of security and authority given to him as a member of the conquering force in that strange place so far from home.

This is to be my attitude as a follower of Christ in this foreign land.  I have God and His sovereign power to back me up!  He has given me a sense of security and authority as a member of the conquering force.  That is why Paul could teach us that in the face of the difficulties of this life, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)  Jesus' love conquered all so I need not fear.

Even though I am a conquering, I do have enemies.  And these enemies will stop at nothing to try to defeat me.  How can I have any hope this side of heaven?

Greater Power Within

I used to compete in bodybuilding.  One year, I was sponsored by one of the top gyms in my region.  Their name (Powerhouse) held clout in the bodybuilding community and being associated with them, I felt the power of being one of their competitors.  Sure enough, when it came time for the judging, I placed higher than I ever had, due in part to the sponsorship of Powerhouse.

Imagine having the most powerful Being, the Creator of all things, living within you!  Reading in 1 John 4:4, we learn that we can live with confidence in Satan's domain because, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

I have the authority of the very power of God to guide me through the evil of this world.  Satan and his angels can try to bring me down, but their power pales in the face of that which is in me through faith in Christ Jesus.  I must always remember that in the end, "every knee should bow, 

Living life in this world is difficult.  As one pastor of a megachurch in my home state of Washington would often say, "Life Sucks!"  But we are not without hope, even thought he world hates us, we are more than conquerors and have the power of God within us.  Then I can confidently say,  "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I would remember the power that is within me when I am overwhelmed by that which is around me.

How do I focus too much on the problems, forgetting that I have the solution within me?

When do I live as the conquered, instead of as a conqueror through faith in Jesus?