Hope for the HurtingSample

DAY 2

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).