How can you display faith in God when you are suffering? When you are in the midst of pain, direct your questions and doubts to God, not out of spite but out of trust. And like the psalmists, always follow up your questions by anchoring your hopes to the promises of God.
Can we be honest about our feelings while still holding on to faith?
Well, hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and it is a question that my friends often ask when they are struggling against pain. Your pain has you in a vice grip in which you can barely think straight, and you look at the future and think, “I can’t do this for the next five years! The idea of living that long with pain scares me to death!”
Now, it’s okay to be honest with God about our dismal, dark thoughts about pain; how can you not express what you’re thinking and feeling? God knows it, anyway, right?! Well, here’s how you can be honest with God, and yet still show faith in him. When it comes to pain and its accompanying terrors, we demonstrate faith in those bitter times when we, like the psalmists, direct our dismal thoughts toward God, and not away from him. We show faith when we aim our doubts and questions Godward. And you can do that by using the Bible to give voice to your suffering. Like, okay, open to Psalm 13, look toward heaven, and cry out, "How long, Lord, [are you going to] forget me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and have sorrow day after day?" And again, add your voice to others who have cried out in pain to God; turn to Psalm 77 and say, "When I was in distress, I sought the Lord… [but I] was too troubled to speak. Will the Lord reject forever? Has he forgotten to be merciful?" You see, when you employ God’s Word like that in faith, voicing your suffering through Scripture, it is a way of engaging him, a way of encountering and connecting with him.
Oh, friend, God wants you to wrestle honestly with him about the pain in your life. But don’t throw questions to spite him or accuse him; don’t use questions as a way of snubbing him and then turning your back on him; rather, send your heartbreak heavenward and follow it up by imitating what the psalmists always do. Yeah, they struggled like you, but after they voiced their lament, they immediately followed it up by anchoring their hopes to the promises of God. We only get into trouble when we allow our doubts to drive us away from God, not toward him. We show lack of faith when we allow our dark questions to smear God’s reputation, or sow seeds of discord about him to others. Believe me, that kind of stuff only makes pain worse. Finally, on your most awful days, hold on to this one, this one powerful hope; this one amazing fact. One day your body with all its aches and pains; with all its autoimmune disorders and problems; with its bad joints and migraine headaches; one day your poor body will be resurrected. Revelation 21 promises a day on the horizon when there will be no more pain, sorrow, no more tears or death. Remind yourself of that every morning. Remember that as you have suffered with Christ, one day you will be resurrected with him.
These are good, healthy insights about dealing with pain and there are many more in a booklet I’d like to send you for free. It’s called “Chronic Pain: Living by Faith when your Body Hurts.” Given that September is National Pain Awareness Month, it’s a great booklet that offers hope in your hardship. So, visit joniradio.org and ask for your gift. Again, it’s an insightful and refreshing booklet on chronic pain that’ll help you put into practice solid disciplines to help you learn how to suffer well. You’ll need a copy, believe me, the next time you start hurting bad, so visit us today at joniradio.org. Again, that’s joniradio.org. God bless you today, and thanks for listening!
© Joni and Friends