Finding God’s Grace in Our Suffering by Katie FarisSample

God draws a line that our suffering can’t cross. And while we might wish God had drawn the line elsewhere, God knows where the limits of our ability lie, and he meets us there.

This truth came alive to me in the quiet of a hospital ward one night. It was fall 2015, our daughter was two and a half, and it was our third overnight stay on the endocrine floor at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

It was after 11 p.m. when her fluttering eyelids finally shut and her body rested in my arms, I stopped singing lullabies and hymns, the lights dimmed, and night finally settled over the hospital. That’s when the Lord brought 2 Corinthians 4:8 to mind: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.”

I sat still, boxed in by white walls and smelling of hand sanitizer, letting this truth settle in the space between my ears: God sets limits to our suffering. We were afflicted, yes. My daughter’s diagnoses were real trials. But no, we weren’t crushed. I didn’t feel despair because I knew God’s presence was with me, reminding me of truth. For the moment, that was proof enough for me.

I worshiped God in that sterile hospital room. With my baby sleeping on my lap, hidden from the eyes of all but my own and God’s, I worshiped him because he was with us and because he sets limits to our suffering.

We did get some answers to our questions and needed reassurance from a head doctor during that visit. But one of my main takeaways from that stay was the encouragement that though we experience perplexing circumstances, God’s hand holds back despair.

Reflection Questions:

1. Think about the questions your personal trials prompt you to ask. Do you wonder why—why me, why now? Are you asking how long? Are you looking for remedies and solutions?
2. Which questions remain unanswered? What do you think would change if you knew the answers to those questions?