photo cred. Brut Carnioullus on unsplash
Parents in pain struggle to make sense of their suffering like anyone else. “We’ve bought the lie that suffering is a mistake,” wrote Kara Tippetts,–a young mom with terminal cancer–author of The Hardest Peace, “but [suffering is the place] where you see how absolutely needy you are for Jesus, and that neediness is a good thing. The broken places in our life are the places that really draw us close to God.”
“Can we be like the three men described in Daniel 3:17-18? You may be familiar with the story. The account has always fascinated me. About to be thrown into a red-hot furnace that would mean a horrible death, they boldly affirmed, The God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know…we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
That’s it.
OUR GOAL
The three men’s brave, trusting declaration should be our goal: Faith that proclaims “Even if He does not…”
Even if my child never changes, I will still trust the Lord with all the unknowns, the unanswered questions, and the mysteries. If my suffering allows me to see my spiritual neediness and causes me to draw closer to God, then good can from it.
But none of us is perfect. Some days we feel strong in our faith, on others not so much. In our humanity we still struggle.
I sure do.
Our journey tends to be up and down, but our Father understands. He knows our hearts and puts no pressure on us to do everything right all the time with our children. We heap pressure on ourselves, however, God gives us grace. Lots of it. I hope you’ll decide not to throw away your faith like some disheartened parents have.
WHAT IS YOUR HOPE ROOTED IN?
Our prayers may take a long time to be answered. The waiting and not knowing could consume us and make us miserable. Maybe that’s happened to you in the past, but this can gradually change. How? When your hope is rooted in God alone, trusting Him in the furnace with the what and the how and the when of the working out of His plan…
Hope is the rope thrown to us by almighty God, who fastens it tightly around our waists to keep us from falling into a pit of despair.”
Dear friend, in your struggle with suffering, may the God of grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (I Peter 5:10) NIV. Amen.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) NIV.
** Today’s post is an excerpt from my book You Are Not Alone, Chapter 11 “A New Kind of Hope”.
REFLECTION:
photo cred. Billy Pasco on unsplash
Do you agree or disagree that being needy before God can be a good thing? If not, why not?
What good have you seen come from your suffering?
In what ways could you trust God more and draw closer to Him, even though you’re struggling?
What is your hope rooted in or based upon?
Click here to listen to a powerful song by Katie Nicole, In the Name of Jesus, for some extra encouragement. May you experience breakthroughs, miracles, and blessings in His powerful name. He’s still the God of possible!
Thank you for providing the wonderful messages, devotionals and prayers. They help me in my dispair…which has been a lot lately. God bless you guys