The midst of a trial can be a foggy place where it’s hard to make sense of anything. From the pain of your heart to the vagueness of your surroundings, it’s hard to focus on what really matters or stay anchored to Truth.
But there is hope. There is light. Not everything is dark and bleak and painful, regardless of how it may seem. When rounding every corner sends a pierce straight to your heart, hold on to these four comforting truths.
#1 — God sees you
It is often when we are struggling that God can seem the most distant. As the psalmist writes in 10:1, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
We must remember that teachers are often silent during a test, staying back so we can best focus on the assessment at hand. They see everything, hear everything but, to the test taker, they seemed uninvolved. In reality, they are close at hand (Psalm 34:18)
“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”
-Psalm 56:8
We must not judge something based on whether or not we are aware of it. There is so much outside of our realm of knowledge. Like stars in the daytime, God is always there, we just don’t always see Him how we are accustomed.
So, like a train going through a dark tunnel, we must trust the Engineer, not jump off. Just keep holding on. In God’s loving-kindness, pure goodness, and sovereign control, there is purpose in your pain. 🙂 Read helpful articles here; Listen to re-centering songs here.
#2 — The pain won’t last forever
“All good things must come to end” the popular saying goes, but so do bad things. There is a time for everything in life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) and the pain you are feeling now, just like every other season, will soon be over.
Lessons learned will become lessons taught. Crying will turn into laughter (Psalm 30:5b). Scars will heal. You will learn to live with the love left behind. It won’t be easy, and you’ll wish to go to simpler times, but you will be better because of it.
“And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.”
-1 Kings 11:39
One of the most beautiful things is that, no matter how bad your heart breaks, the earth still turns. The sun still rises. The moon still brings the tide in. Life goes on. You may not feel better today, and you may not feel better tomorrow, but one day you will.
Take a step back. Look at the big picture. Let out a deep breath. What seems like a hurricane tearing at the limits of your mind isn’t even a molecule of water in God’s hands. The world is so much bigger and God has us perfectly placed in the legacy of it all.
#3 — The chaos is limited
Tribulation is hard and painful, there is no denying that, but have you ever noticed the beauty in how each person is equipped to bear the burden they are assigned? No one suffers perfectly, but if we all put our problems in a pile, we’d want ours back.
I may be dealing with X, Y, and Z but when so-and-so tells me about their A, B, and C, I am equally impressed with how they’re handling it and grateful that it’s not me. God specifically equips each of us with the means to bear our burdens.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
-1 Corinthians 10:13
Another angle of this can be found in the book of Job. Satan wanted to challenge Job and God let him saying, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand” (Job 1:12).
There is chaos, but the chaos is controlled in time and severity. Think about what you’re dealing with. How could it be worse? There are many ways, ultimately tallying up to your life being taken. If it could be worse, you’re doing okay. There is suffering, but it’s limited.
#4 — The Spirit is fighting for you
No matter how dark things may seem to get, you are never truly fighting alone. God is our advocate, a person who pleads on our behalf. As Job said in 16:19, “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high.”
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
-Romans 8:26-27
One day, sooner than it may seem, you are going to be able to look back and see how God is with you every step of the way. One day you will be able to cry out with the psalmist, “If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.”
But you have breath. You have life, a gift regardless of its quirks and downfalls, so take a deep breath and learn to revel in simple, everyday beauty. Just take one day at a time and soon you will be on the other side of what seemed like forever.