Trusting God Through the Pain of Your PastSample

Day Five

Redeeming Suffering

Scripture: Psalm 147:3; John 16:33; Hebrews 4:14-16

We all have something that we keep hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts, hoping no one will find it. Sins we’ve committed, mistakes we’ve made, poor decisions, physical or emotional struggles, or experiences that have left a scar on our bodies, in our minds, or in our hearts. Jesus warned us that we would all experience times of pain, trouble, or suffering:

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world, you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] (John 16:33 AMP, italics in the original)

Notice that Jesus’s offer of peace is not isolated from our times of pain. We can have peace while experiencing pain because he has already won our ultimate victory for us. That victory is represented in the scars he bore as well as those we bear.

The pain points of today, the battle wounds that remain tender to the touch if not a bit bruised in your heart, will heal in time. Your scars will no longer represent open wounds but symbolize a road map of the healing God has provided, even if it’s still unfinished, and testify to his unchanging character.

It is my hope that as you learn to honor your scars as sacred to God, you will begin to appreciate just how far you’ve come so that on the painful days your heart will be encouraged to stay the course. My prayer is that you will come to know how beautiful God thinks you are and that you will give him your guilt, shame, and regret over the things that caused you pain. I pray that you would see the incredible value he places on you and that you would allow him to redeem your suffering as he heals your wounds and seals your sacred scars.

Father, Jesus told us we would experience trials in this life. Help me embrace the fact that my scars signify that I have endured a battle and survived. Help me see them as a beautiful reminder that you brought me through pain to the other side. My scars do not need to be hidden but celebrated for how far I have come. In Jesus’s name, amen.