This was a sermon I did this month in a remote village, I hope you all enjoy it!
Where is God in the Suffering?
I’m going to start off with the basics.
Jesus is the Son of God.
He was born of a virgin named Mary.
He is both fully divine and fully human.
He was without sin and lived a perfect life.
At the age of 30 years old He started His ministry.
He went around and told everyone about His all powerful Father in Heaven.
How He is the One true God and the way for eternal life.
How they are loved and seen by the God that created this world.
He brought Heaven to Earth and performed multiple miracles, signs, and wonders and healed many people.
At the age of 33 years old he died.
He was crucified on a cross for our sins.
Nails through His hands and feet and a crown of thorns on His head.
He was pure and blameless but He took our punishment when we truly deserved it.
Jesus understands the sufferings of this world, He understands our pains and troubles we have on this Earth because He experienced them too.
In Hebrews 5:8 it says:
“Though He was a son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
The Son of God had to learn obedience through suffering, then how much more do we need to learn it.
This life is hard and there’s suffering everywhere.
A life with God isn’t a life without suffering but it’s a life with hope, because God says He will be with you every step of the way.
In Hebrews 4:15-16 it says:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
He truly knows and can empathize with us and is waiting with mercy and grace for us in our hard times.
And Jesus hurts and weeps with you through your suffering.
In John 11:35 it says Jesus wept when he found out Lazarus was dead. He wept with the people even though He knew He was going to raise him from the dead moments after that. He still sat in their pain and wept with them. It also says in vs. 38 He had groanings in Himself when they were asking Him why He let this happen. He was troubled and saddened and sat there and suffered with them.
Jesus the Son of God suffered with them.
That’s what He does for us too, He sits there and suffers with us in our troubles.
He takes our hand and says we don’t have to walk through this alone.
He is there right beside us through it all.
I struggled with intense arm pain in both my arms for four long years. I couldn’t move them or use them without them being in pain. And through that pain and struggle in my life I knew Jesus was right beside me even though I couldn’t see him.
I trusted and took His hand even when I couldn’t see where we were going.
I didn’t see the purpose in the pain in the midst of it. I wanted him to heal me right then & take all the pain and suffering away on my schedule not His.
But God doesn’t do what He can do and what He is able to do because of the plans He has that we don’t have access too.
He has a plan much bigger than we can image.
His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
There’s a purpose in your pain, you may not see it now but trust God in the midst of it and you will see His glory at the end of it.
In Deuteronomy 33:25 it says:
“As your days, so shall your strength be.”
God will give you the strength needed for your days. He won’t give you any less or any more but the perfect amount of strength for each day. This was a verse I taped to my mirror and looked at every morning in the midst of my suffering; to remind me that God will provide my strength for that day even though I don’t see how He can or how He will, I’m still going to trust Him in the midst of it. And every day He never let me down. He would give me the perfect amount of strength to get through each day.
In James 1:2 it says
“My brothers count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
And there’s hope to this story there’s a happy ending.
Because three days later Jesus rose from the dead and assessed into Heaven.
So that we can have eternal life with God in Heaven!
So there’s a hope, there’s a place with no pain, no sorrow, no hardships and no suffering.
And it’s in Heaven with God our Father!
The suffering now won’t be compared to the joy that is coming.
God healed my arms in His perfect time!
It would be merciful for him to take away the pain, but it would be purposeful for Him to leave it for a while.
I wanted it taken away quickly and He said my child just wait because there’s something I’m trying to show you. And He taught me so much through that pain and struggle. I truly wouldn’t be here today laying down my life for God if I didn’t go through that pain and suffering.
In the pain, God was preparing me for this calling and making my character match His a little bit more.
So I hope this message served as an encouragement that God sees you and is with you in your pain and struggles and He can make something beautiful out of the broken!
