Where is God in my times of intense pain and loneliness?
Psalm 139:2, 7You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts . . . I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
Matthew 28:20“Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
John 14:16-17“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
John 16:33“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Romans 8:38–39I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Time and again, God promises his presence with us in our trials. No matter how troubled we may feel, we should trust that God is right there with us. It is when we are hurting that God most wants to move into our lives to help. And we can never be lost to his love.
Isaiah 53:3-5He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Matthew 4:1Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
John 11:32-35When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.
Mark 14:50Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.
Luke 22:48Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Hebrews 4:14-16So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Our God is not distant, unable to relate to our pains, fears, temptations, and struggles. He lived a human life and experienced the same trials we experience, and he longs to help us follow in his footsteps.
Psalm 23:4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
2 Thessalonians 3:3The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
James 1:2-4When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
1 Peter 5:9-10Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
God never promised that following him would free us from trouble, but he does promise to be with us at all times and to help us move through our problems with more wisdom and less fear. Sometimes, God can and does take away our problems immediately. But more often, God allows us to struggle through a problem so we can learn and grow stronger through it. Either way, he knows our trouble and walks beside us through it.
