Day Three: God Comforts Us, Even If Our Situation Doesn’t Change

"Even If" Verse 2:

I begged and prayed, day after day

That you wouldn’t let this be

Stood at the waters, they never parted

Lord, were you even listening

You don’t owe me anything

But in my darkness you still speak peace

When trouble comes and difficult situations arise, our instinct is to want to escape the pain in any way we can. We want to be saved and rescued from the pain. We want our bodies and those of our loved ones to be healed. We want our relationships restored. We need financial help and breakthrough, or we long for community. We want relief from the weariness of our heart and soul. Our job in all of this is to make sure that we do the work so that our first instinct is to reach out to God for relief.

While God answers us and promises to provide us ultimate peace, His response to our prayers may not unfold the way we hope and desire. So, if God’s promise to answer our prayers doesn’t include giving us everything we want, then what hope do we have? Why believe or come to Him if we aren’t guaranteed the response we hope for in the end? We persist in faith not because we always get what we want, but because He promises to comfort us in the midst of our pain. We persist because we believe that He knows more related to His glory and our good.

God doesn’t stand far off in the distance watching us experience life. No, he draws near to us. Jesus came to earth so God could abide, not just with us as in the days of the Old Testament, but within us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is already walking with us daily, but then, the Bible teaches us that in our struggles, he draws us up even closer.This proximity, coupled with his omniscience, will not always negate the pain, but it will give us perspective in it.

I have a ton of nieces and nephews whom I adore. I love being their fun, get-whatever-you-want-and-break-some-rules uncle. Yet, as our family has navigated some very tough and intense moments, my role has been one of another set of open arms, ready to encompass them in their weak moments, and to hold them, and their parents too, as we journey through the hard times together. I was always their uncle. I was always there, close, and available to them. But when suffering struck us and horror arrived at our front door, I moved closer. Sometimes, I even moved in.

Pain requires a closer proximity to heal, and our God doesn’t remain far off. When invited in, He draws nearer than we could imagine. Over and over throughout scripture, it echoes this, amplifying this portion of God’s character. He comes in our mess, our muck, our pain, our confusion, our overwhelm, our everything, with us. We are not left to navigate it alone.

He waits, walks, holds, encourages, uplifts, and breathes life and strength over us in each stage and every season as we heal and learn to walk again.

He is close to us, but that’s not all. He promises to heal and bind up our wounds, to go with us so our sorrows won’t overwhelm us forever, to ensure that though we are bent down we are not broken, and to ensure that we are not destroyed as we journey with him.

But most of all, he draws near because, just like the good Father that He is, he knows that we need comfort, and He is not just willing, He wants to provide that for us. Even if the world is crumbling around us and the pain feels too much to bear, God is close to you, holding you, and walking with you through even your darkest times.Actually, sometimes the dark times make His light more evident, clear, beautiful and easier to focus on.