Hope for the Hurting

Scriptures: Psalms 119:49-56, John 16:32-33

Life hurts. And Jesus knew it would. He said, “In the world you will have tribulation ….” He didn’t say “you might” have troubles and difficulties. Jesus said you and I will have pain, hurt, and struggles. 

Sin has made its mark on society in such a dominant way that its repercussions and reverberations are felt everywhere. 

I understand firsthand what this type of compounded pain feels like. I know what it is to face one tragedy after another until you begin to dread the next day, simply because you don’t know the bad news it may bring. 

In a span of less than two years, I lost my brother, my only sister, my sister’s husband, two of my nieces, my father and my wife all to health issues of one kind or another. At the same time, both of my daughters received cancer diagnoses and had growing health concerns which were thankfully treated, and they have since recovered from them. 

But as you can see, I don’t speak from a theological position of platitudes on pain. I am writing to you from my heart. 

When I talk to you about pain, I’m not telling you solely what is on my mind or what I have studied on the subject. I am telling you what works and what doesn’t, addressing it from my experiences. To face life’s difficulties with dignity and come out the other side with grace is one of our greatest challenges we are given on earth. 

My prayer is that as we walk through Scripture together through the devotions this week, you will be better equipped to do just that.

Scriptures: Genesis 50:19-21, Exodus 16:1-6

The promise of God’s Word has never been a guarantee from pain and trouble. It has always been a promise to be experienced in the hurt itself. God does manifest His victory on our behalf oftentimes by removing the challenge or bringing us through it, but not until He has developed us in it.

The great danger in this spiritual adventure called life is that while you and I are passing through the wilderness, we may want to go back to Egypt, like the Israelites who sought to return to slavery rather than face the hardships at hand. Or, another danger comes in the desire to loiter in the wilderness and become unproductive. That is often a result of feeling stuck or not knowing where you are going. You may wind up doing nothing in living out your destiny because you are so discouraged by what you are facing and have no energy left to commit to your calling.

As a pastor, I wish I could in good faith and in good conscience tell you that if you come to Jesus, it won’t rain. You won’t have pain. Nothing will hurt, and life will be a cakewalk. I wish I could tell you that if you have faith in God and choose to obey Him, serve Him and love Him you will have no troubles.

It would make my job a lot easier as a pastor if I could tell you those things. But it would also make me a liar because those things are simply not true.

My role as a spiritual leader in a world rife with pain is to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The reason I must do this is because only the Truth will set you free (John 8:32).

Scriptures: Romans 5:2-4, 2 Corinthians 1

The apostle Paul took his commitment to telling the truth seriously. That’s why we read in his own words a pretty stark summation of his life, showing how God has cared for him amidst a mass of suffering, as found in 2 Corinthians 1. 

In contemporary language, that would be classified as severe depression. There’s no way to sugar-coat someone writing that they “despaired even of life.” And yet, what I find interesting in all of this is that Paul is also probably the most mature Christian who has ever lived. He stands head and shoulders above most others when it comes to boldly declaring the faith, representing Jesus and suffering for His cause. 

I want to remind all of us whose hearts may hurt that we are not talking about a bad man in pain when we reference Paul and learn from him. We are looking at a good man hurting—a godly man hurting. He’s a man hurting even as a result of the things he was doing to advance God’s kingdom in the world! 

See, a lot of believers think that if they follow Jesus, serve Him and love Him, they are not supposed to hurt. 

This world comes with trouble. It just does. The sooner we can accept that reality and stop ourselves from trying to spiritualize every painful situation, loss or difficulty we encounter, we will be better positioned to weather it well. 

People get sick on this planet. People die. People get abused. Go hungry. Lose relationships. Accidents happen. Careers go south. Loneliness lingers. As I referenced earlier, Jesus reminded us that this world comes with troubles and tribulations (John 16:33). But the difference for kingdom followers comes in knowing that because of Jesus in us, we can overcome the onslaught of hurtful scenarios we face.

Scriptures: Job 23, James 1:2-4, James 1:12

One of the most well-known biblical characters who understood and wrote about hurtful seasons is Job. During his darkest days, he said that he did not sense God’s presence. Even though he was known as a righteous man, he felt alone, lost and in pain. In Job 23 we read, “Behold, I go forward but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him; He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him” (vs. 8-9). 

Don’t be fooled. Life does hurt. There are different levels at different times for different people, but suffering is something we all share. We all cry. No matter how much we love Jesus, we all find ourselves in times of tears and sorrow, even periods of depression. But like Paul, who had even reached what many would term a suicidal level of depression, having “despaired even of life” we can discover how to dignify our difficulties through one key decision: focusing on God. It is in God where we will find the comfort we need. Paul reminds us of this time and again in the same chapter where he outlines his pains and struggles (2 Corinthians 1). 

Comfort. 

The Greek word for “comforter” used in 2 Corinthians 1 is the word paraclete. It is the same root term used about the Holy Spirit when Jesus said God will send us someone to help us in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever….” 

Thus, in every affliction, trouble, hurt, pain, distress or difficulty of life that you may be facing, there is a Comforter. God comforts those who need it most.

Scriptures: Romans 8:28-29, 2 Corinthians 1:3

As we all know, pain and difficulties can be temptations. They exist as temptations to give up, blame God, complain, gripe, blame others and more. God never promised us a life without temptation or grief. What He did promise is that in the midst of the affliction and hurt, He will give us comfort. 

I don’t know how long God is going to allow your pain to persist. I don’t know how long He is going to make you wait for your deliverance to come. I can’t guarantee you that your problem is going to be solved tomorrow, next month or even next year. You can pray toward that end, trust toward that end and desire toward that end, but you and I both know that neither of us can create that end on our own. 

So I’m not going to spend my time and yours making false promises to you that if you trust Jesus, Monday is going to be better. For all I know, Monday may even be worse. 

But what I will tell you is that while you are waiting for the pain to subside and the hurt to heal, there is a Comforter given to you by God. God has offered you a new focus of His own divinity to take your focus off your own feet standing still for so long. 

The worse the pain gets, the deeper your focus on the Lord ought to be. You can do this when you rest in the overarching reality of the sovereignty of God, understanding that nothing happens to you unless it passes through God’s fingers first. God is in control.