Fortified Faith: How Doubts Help REconstruct BeliefSample

Your pain matters to God.

This simple yet profound truth can be difficult to grasp, especially during suffering. Some of our deepest wounds can come from fellow Christians or church leaders. If that’s been your experience, I’m sorry. I’ve felt that heartbreak too, more than once. Church wounds can cause us to reconsider our faith. We can question God's trustworthiness when others harm us while claiming to represent His name. God continues to involve His church in my healing, but that’s not our focus today.

God sees your pain, and it matters to Him.

The Bible describes Jesus as a "man of sorrows" — someone who intimately understands suffering. This prophecy, spoken centuries before Christ's birth, reveals how God is not distant or detached from human suffering. He enters it. Jesus took your sorrows as His own in order to bring you healing.

Have you ever wondered how God responds when you’re in pain? I have.

• Does He want you to push through it?
• Does He expect you to always approach Him with joy, hiding your true feelings?
• Do you hesitate to bring your hurt to Him, anticipating a harsh response?
• Do you worry that your lack of certainty offends Him?
• Would you rather avoid God when you’re hurting, because you wonder why He hasn’t taken the pain away?

The story of Lazarus in John 11 gives us a beautiful picture of how Jesus responds to human suffering. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Both Mary and Martha, Lazarus's sisters, approached Jesus with the same words: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Jesus didn't rebuke them for their grief or their implied criticism. He wept with them.

Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, but He still entered their pain. Indignant at death itself, their suffering moved Him. He knew the situation would turn out well, but still, He cried with them.

God is moved by your suffering.
He doesn't stand at a distance.
He doesn't tell you to just get over it.
He enters your sorrow with you.

We’ll read today from Ezekiel 34 as God speaks strongly against the shepherds (leaders) who mistreated His flock.

God is not okay with people being mistreated.

God promises to seek out His people, to care for them, and to heal their wounds.

If you feel scattered, lost, or wounded…
if you’re wrestling with doubts or questions…
if you feel disappointed by your experiences of Christianity so far…
God wants to shepherd you Himself.

He’s not indifferent to your suffering or impatient with your pain. God’s not after a quick fix to make faith look pretty. He longs to reconstruct these parts of your heart. Any place your faith feels fractured, invite God in.

Are you ready for God to fortify your faith? It’s been a joy to walk with you through this plan, as you explored some of the glorious goodness God offers you in His reconstruction process. Click here for complementary access to my Fortified Faith Action Plan, a practical guide to help you in your next steps!