When ‘God Cares’ Seems Empty
We have all prayed desperate prayers, begging God to fix the unbearable. But when the pain lingers, or the bills stack up, or the loneliness crushes, or the cancer is still there, God cares can feel hollow.
And it can be difficult to speak into this sort of pain when we're disposed to thinking that God is not active and caring. We can easily build a fence around our grief that keeps everything else out.
And even though the Bible says God works everything for our good, what does that mean when life keeps hurting? The truth is God is active and working for us.
But it doesn't always look like a quick fix. Often it's deeper, stronger, and more personal than that. And it's always moving toward a good outcome.
One of the problems when we're in pain and questioning God might be this stubborn thought that if God really cared, he would show it by stepping in and making the problem go away.
The apostle Paul's suffering was so severe that he thought he would die. And his pain wasn't just physical, it was mental and emotional. He called himself a wretched man because of his sin. And he knew betrayal in the most desperate situations. But he continued to trust his Savior.
What type of pain do you think Joseph had when his brothers sold him into slavery? How terrible that must have been. But he continued to look up.
To be in real pain is not a sin. We can and should come to God in our struggle. God isn't scared of our feelings. He wants us to come to him exactly as we are. Messy, confused, and hurting. God doesn't demand polished prayers. He wants honesty.
King David, the guy who killed Goliath, wrote poems to God like this: “I am worn out from crying. My eyes are swollen with tears.”
Another time he wrote, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters. The floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help. My throat is parched. My eyes fail looking for my God.”
But here's the thing. If you believe God is totally sovereign and loves his children and is in control of every event that comes our way, as difficult as it is, we need to trust him. He will be faithful through your pain.
Another problem is that we often simply don't know what God is doing. He is working, but we don't know the specifics.
Job lost everything, and God's answer was not an explanation, but a reminder of his power. Job's pain had cosmic implications. We're still reading about it today.
Back to Joseph. While he was in the throes of betrayal and imprisonment, he didn't know that through his God-ordained story, God was going to preserve the family that would be the Hebrew people and eventually bring Jesus into history.
Remember Joseph's words towards the end of his struggle? Speaking to his brothers, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
Pain always has purpose, but we can't always see it.
Jesus also experienced pain. He wept at Lazarus's grave. He knows our struggle. On the cross, he experienced pain we will never know. In fact, he experienced unimaginable pain, so we won't have to experience the same thing.
Pain is not wrong. Bring it to God. Pour your heart out and remember he loves you. Trust him.
Jesus, someday we'll see it all more clearly, and we know that our pain is nothing compared to what you went through for us. I'm sorry for losing sight of your love for me. Thank you for loving me even though I don't respond the way I should. Please cause me to look up and help others who are in pain.
I'll leave you with Isaiah 41:10.
“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Song: Revelation Song