The Uninvited GuestSample

WHAT IS GOD SAYING IN MY SUFFERING?

Although it doesn’t feel like it at the time, suffering is an amazing opportunity for revelation to come about the nature of God. There is nothing like suffering to catapult us toward Him. In that process of coming to Him, we discover Him afresh. And often new revelation will come through what He speaks to us.

C.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience but shouts in our pain."

The voice of the Lord during our suffering is the most important voice we will hear. When He speaks, via His word or directly to our heart, we can fully lean on those words as true and trustworthy. We hear words of instruction, words of comfort, words of encouragement, wisdom, and truth.

The words of the Lord to you become anchors in times of suffering. They remind you that He knows everything about the situation and that He has a way through. He won’t always answer all the questions you are asking. But He will give you what you need.

There is something about suffering that if we engage with God, through brutally honest lament, that we will see something about him that we have not seen before. This is the beauty of the revelation of Him. And when you have seen something about Him, you have beheld a new characteristic you were unaware of, it weaves itself into your history with Him. And no one can take that way from you. It is in you for life. It’s not just knowing about Him but knowing Him.

Maybe in suffering you will find out about the goodness of God, maybe it’s the mercy of God you will see, and perhaps it’s the faithfulness of God that will come into view. Whatever it is, it’s yours for life.

"I have heard you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." - Job 42:5

Prayer Point: Lord help me to hear your voice in my suffering. Speak what I need to hear and through your words, give me hope and show me who you really are.