I have hope...

                                                 

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about pain? In Job 2, you can read how God had all of His millions of angels come stand before Him for a regular meeting. The devil came with them, so God talked about Job again. After the devil had been allowed to destroy all of Job’s property and family, now the devil wanted to hurt Job’s body. God let him. Why, God?

 

God is eternal, so I wonder what God thinks about the temporary suffering in our lives. Does He have a bigger purpose for letting us feel pain here and now? God could talk about anything else in His creation, but He seems to talk about certain people He notices and loves. Yet, why would He let those people suffer? What does this reveal about Who God is?

God let His own Son Jesus suffer also on this earth to pay for our sins. Maybe temporary suffering is one of the things God allows to make things work out in a way that He knows will be better. We cannot always understand God, but we can trust that He is bigger than our pain, and He is better than our pain, too.

I am the first to admit that I like things to run smoothly. When they do not, I am a mess. My family teases me that I have border line OCD tendencies. We laugh and joke about it, but in fact it is not far from the truth. I do like things in order. However, the past few years, I have learned to let a few things go. It’s okay. The wisdom comes in knowing the balance. Sometimes things happen in life where you are forced to put total trust and dependence on the Lord. I guess Type A people may find this a little more difficult. When there is no plan, faith must step in the picture.

Today, though, I feel entrapped. What must I do? Call upon the Lord and totally trust. When an animal or fish tries to free itself from a hunter’s net, it actually becomes more entangled. I admit that I have been fighting to free myself from the pain. It is time to stop. My strength cannot hold up any longer. Be still and humbly call upon the Lord and His goodness. He will hear me. I remember His promise that He will take care of the faithful. He will save me. I have hope!