How do I know this to be true? Because the Scriptures emphatically tell us so. How encouraging to know that the very presence of the King — the Creator of all heaven and earth — hovers near those who are wounded and discouraged. If you could fully comprehend how deeply you are loved, you would never feel alone again. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
What comfort we should draw from that understanding! He is calling your name to the Father today, pleading your case and describing your need. How wrong it is, therefore, to place the blame for your troubles on the best friend mankind ever had! Regardless of other conclusions you draw, please believe this: He is not the source of your pain!
Why did God do this to me? God rarely chooses to answer those questions in this life! He will not parade His plans and purposes for our approval. We must never forget that He is God. Every person who ever lived, I submit, has had to deal with seeming contradictions and enigmas.
You will not be the exception. That will be your greatest challenge, however — because there is no other foundation. My strongest advice is that each of us acknowledge before the crisis occurs, if possible, that our trust in Him must be independent of our understanding. Sooner or later our intellect will pose questions we cannot possibly answer. For those who are hurting and discouraged, I think it would be comforting to look forward to the time when the present trials will be a distant memory.
A day of celebration is coming like nothing that has ever occurred in the history of mankind. The Guest of Honor on that morning will be One wearing a seamless robe, with eyes like flames of fire and feet like fine brass. As we bow humbly before Him, a Great Voice will thunder from the heavens, saying:. This is the hope of the ages that burns within my breast. It is the ultimate answer to those who suffer and struggle today.
It is the only solace for those who have said goodbye to a loved one. Though the pain is indescribable now, we must never forget that our separation is temporary. We will be reunited forever on that glad resurrection morning. As the Scripture promises, our tears will be banished forever! My father and mother will also be in the crowd on that day, standing expectantly beside my little grandmother, who prayed for me before I was born.
They will be straining to catch a glimpse of our arrival, just like they did so many Christmas seasons when we flew into the Kansas City airport. Dad will have so much to tell me, he will be bursting with excitement.
Your loved ones who died in Christ will also be in that great throng, singing and shouting the praises of the Redeemer. What a celebration it will be! This is the reward for the faithful — for those who overcome their sense of betrayal in tough times and persevere to the end. This is the crown of righteousness prepared for those who have fought a good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith 2 Timothy Final Thoughts Throughout our remaining days in this life, therefore, let me urge you not to be discouraged by temporal cares.
Accept the circumstances as they are presented to you. The Lord is very near, and He has promised that your temptation will not be greater than you can bear 1 Corinthians The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all v.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read more from Dr. Dobson at Focus on the Family. Get more — Free! James This word divides between soul and spirit, thoughts and intents, and joints and marrow. Hebrews It produces life if we obey what we hear. There is a way that we have to go on in order to come to the life of Christ. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read Listen Watch Explore.
Home Explore Read Listen Watch. Why is this happening to me? Trials are an opportunity! He gave us the freedom to choose evil, and that means stuff can happen outside His will. Also wrong and not helpful. God often allows us more than we can handle. In fact, sometimes we have to break to admit that we need help. His primary goal is not our comfort. He wants to see us strong, free, and mature, but that only comes through radical dependence on Him not ourselves. What was meant to motivate usually just creates unhealthy expectations to keep striving in our own power.
Sometimes letting go of our expectations, letting ourselves fall apart, and embracing our vulnerability before the God who saves is the best thing we can do Ps Trust me. The Bible references multiple different causes in different situations.
Factor 1: It really is a broken world. It was gorgeous and perfect, but those were just bonus gifts. The real beauty was a perfect relationship with God. When humans chose not to trust God and take matters into their own hands, that world broke.
God was supposed to be our source of everything. Food, light, love, worth—everything came from His provision and our relationship with Him alone.
The impact of those ripples reach all of us, and we continually perpetuate that brokenness all the time. We face suffering and pain that God never intended. Any glimpse of goodness we see is His grace despite living in a broken world.
So what should our response be to brokenness? Turn to God. Factor 2: There really is an enemy. It started a cosmic war, and that angel became an enemy who is hell-bent on destroying us 1 Peter His mission is to steal, kill, and destroy John He actually wants to destroy you—physically, relationally, financially, etc. The Bible says our battle is never against flesh and blood but against forces of the dark world Eph He is called the Father of Lies and is constantly whispering to us that God is holding out on us.
God has way more power, though, and through Him, so do we. Sometimes bad things are happening because of the ripple effects of sin tainting the world. Sometimes the enemy is specifically crafting it against us. He will try anything to get us to turn away from God, but the answer is to keep turning towards Him. To believe in God requires accepting that He is so much bigger than we can understand. But spiritual breakthrough comes from faith, which, by definition, is believing what we do not see Heb There are some crazy stories in the Bible that show us there is often more going on than we could ever know.
These stories show that God does hear us. He does care. Most of all, He eventually restores. Faithfulness in bad situations is always rewarded someday. Factor 4: Sometimes God is behind it. He sent a flood, Genesis and plagues, and has hardened hearts Exodus 7. Sometimes He allows bad things without intervening in the world and sometimes he directly intervenes in the world with something painful. Pain is a powerful teacher. Sometimes He is discipling us Hebrews As a Father, King, Creator, and Judge, anything is within his rights.
Because of his goodness, even this kind of suffering can still be used for our good. Sometimes He personally opposes us James The majority of the time God uses the bad and evil that already exists in the world for good.
The war is still on, and while we will see glimpses of miraculous breakthroughs, we will also still see darkness.
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