“For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.”
Psalm 33:4
The sun was bright and the sky was a striking blue. Outside, it was a perfect day, with flowers in full bloom and squirrels scampering around the yard. Inside my home, however, I was sitting in the dark, deep in grief. It had been five days since my dad had breathed his last, and just over a month since my husband and I had lost our baby in a miscarriage. Life, it seemed, had taken a sharp turn down into the valley of the shadow of death.
So, there I sat—alone with God and my pain. I had so many questions. Why did God give us a baby only to take it away? Why did my dad have to die so suddenly? Would I ever feel normal again? Was the pain going to be wasted?
When we find ourselves in a place of suffering, our view of God’s character determines what we will believe about our sorrow. If we believe in the sovereignty of God yet doubt his goodness, we could conclude that our sorrow is the workings of a cruel deity who delights in punishment. If we recognize God’s goodness, yet reject his sovereign reign, it could have us believing that our pain is purposeless and outside his divine control. Not only is there little comfort with both these beliefs, each one is also an incomplete view of God and our pain.
The truth is, God is a kind King who withholds no good thing from his children (Psalm 84:11). No pain, however great, is wasted. When we understand the lovingkindness of God and his work within our sorrow, we can press on in faith, at peace with unanswered questions and unmet expectations. Let’s look at four ways the Lord is faithful in our suffering.
He is faithful to bear our sorrows
A cursory reading through the Psalms and the prophets gives us vivid word pictures of God’s power and holiness.
The earth is his footstool (Isaiah 66:1).
The mountains melt like wax before him (Psalm 97).
The moon and stars sing his praises (Psalm 148:3).
His supremacy over all is magnified again and again. And yet God, who dwells in unapproachable light, bends his ear to us when we are broken, sympathizes with our weakness, and promises rest for our weary hearts. Jesus promised this in Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In all our sorrow, we have Christ as our great burden-bearer who bore all our sin, shame, and suffering at the cross, and continues to bear all our burdens even now.
He is faithful to feed us with his Word
Seasons of sorrow can shrink our spiritual stomach. Prolonged suffering may cause our soul to ache from spiritual hunger pains, but prohibit us from taking in as much nourishment as we want. When this happens, all that is required from us is to simply open our mouth “and pant” for his Word (Psalm 119:131).
David prayed, “You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). When we find ourselves in a desert place, unable to drink deep from the well or feast at the table, God is still faithful to refresh our thirsty soul and satisfy our hungry spirit, one sip and one bite at a time.
He is faithful to intercede for us in prayer
Sitting in my home, alone in a dark room, I had no words to pray. Suffering can often leave us silenced in the face of our pain. Sometimes we are too overwhelmed and grieved by it all to speak. We simply have no words to bring to God, only tears. In situations like this, Paul gives us a precious promise found in his letter to the church in Rome.
“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27
In the moments when we are undone, when we are at a loss for words and can only groan in our pain, the Holy Spirit, the comforter sent by God for all believers, prays for us according to the will of the Father. He is faithful to transform our groans into prayers of glory.
He is faithful to make all our suffering fruitful. Do you find yourself wondering how it all matters? Can God actually use this particular circumstance for my good and his glory? His Word gives us a resounding “yes!” Romans 8 crescendos with this reminder:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Romans 8:28-29
This means that every loss, every single pang, every reminder of our limitations, every ache in our bodies—it all points to the lovingkindness of God who faithfully uses all things for the good of those whom he loves. Nothing is too small or insignificant to be useful. He promises that all our sufferings will culminate in a glorious end. The valleys and deserts, the unexpected sorrows, the lengthy trials, it is all used by God to strengthen our dependence on him, to deepen our hunger for his word, to loosen our grip on this world, and to equip us to comfort others in the future. This is how he faithfully puts purpose to our pain.
So do not be disheartened, friend. If you are sitting in the dark with only your pain and your Savior as your companions, be encouraged. He is present, sustaining you as he completes the work he began. And one day when we see his face, all our sorrows will fade into the background of our praise.
Photo Credit: Sarah Brossart
Kristen Lisemby Rosener resides in Arkansas with her husband and three children. When she's not folding laundry, preparing meals, or ciphering through paperwork at the office, she is either serving their local church or writing about God's work in our brokenness. She is the author ofWhere Joy Is: Finding Joy in the Midst of Suffering, her theological memoir on affliction. You can connect with her via Instagram at @wherejoyis.
