“But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” (Psalm 40:17)
God has truly blessed us in ALWAYS being available for us to share our anxieties and worries. Jesus warned us that we’d have problems in the world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another one is waiting to take its place.
I find there is such a temptation to let other activities get in the way of having time with God, especially when things are going well. Yet, my most profound and intimate experiences of worship are often in my darkest days–when my heart is broken, when I feel abandoned, when I’m out of options, when the pain is great, and then I turn to God alone. It is during suffering that I learn to pray the most authentic, heart-felt, honest-to-God prayers. When in pain, I don’t have the energy for superficial prayers.
Joni Eareckson Tada notes, “When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus.” We learn things about God in suffering that we can’t learn any other way.
Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves. Paul testified to this benefit: “We felt we were doomed to die and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us. . .” (2 Corinthians 1:9 LB) You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You with all our being and give thanks that You are always available and are comfort in difficult times. Teach us to turn to You to good times and in difficult times and to reach out to others who are in need.
About the Author:
Patricia Armstrong lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, Richard. She is thankful for opportunities to volunteer in many activities that reach out to those in need. Patricia deals with constant pain due to a nerve disease but thanks God for always being there as Comforter.
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Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 