When Suffering sucks

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Psalm 77: When we are hit with suffering of all kinds, we find ourselves desperate for comfort. And we won’t find it in shallow platitudes or empty promises. God offers comfort in many ways, but one of the primary ways is through his word.

The more we know God’s word, the more we know him. And the more we know him, the more we find him to be everything he promises. He is a father to the forsaken and forgotten. He is a refuge for those in distress. He is a healer of the brokenhearted and a defender of the oppressed. And he is the one who turns our mourning into joy.

Throughout Scripture, we see stories of God’s sovereign hands at work. Sure and steady, he directs human history to fulfil his redemptive plan. When Joseph is sold into slavery, and Esther is taken to a king’s harem, God’s unseen hand is orchestrating it all. When it seems like evil wins, his justice reigns. When all seems hopeless, his promises prove true. He is a good and trustworthy God. When we saturate ourselves in Scripture, the faithfulness God displayed then strengthens us to trust him now.

We are a forgetful people. God carries us through countless trials, yet suffering still tempts us to doubt his sovereignty. We have seen him work all things for good before, but when we can’t imagine any possible road to redemption, we wonder if he got it wrong this time. When Asaph’s soul was in despair, weary from crying out and wondering if God’s love had ceased, he found hope for his present trouble by remembering: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (Ps. 77:11).

We must remember. The God who provided for you yesterday will provide for you tomorrow. The God who carried you through past unemployment, health challenges, or deferred dreams will take you through your current circumstances.

Sometimes, we can look back and clearly identify threads of God’s faithfulness, but some of our hurts and trials won’t make sense this side of heaven. We don’t always get satisfactory answers or happy endings. So, we must remember God’s faithfulness to the saints who have walked before us. The God of Noah, the God of Jacob, the God of Joseph, the God of Ruth, the God of David, and the God of Mary is our God.

Scripture, particularly the Psalms, also meets us in our suffering by showing us how to lament. The world is broken and painful, and we won’t find comfort by having a stiff upper lip and trying to argue otherwise. We find comfort when we admit how devastating our circumstances feel and then go to God as hurting children in need of their Father. He will meet us. He will hold us. And one day, he will wipe every tear from our eyes. 

During trials, it is often difficult to stay rooted in Scripture. Though we find them rich and comforting, there are other times we find them dry. We go to them parched, and rather than quenching us, they just leave us thirstier than before. We cry out to God, but his voice seems mute. Even as we pour over these divinely inspired words, precious verses we’ve highlighted, underlined and memorized don’t always make a mark on our hearts.

We must not give up. Even when our efforts feel futile, God is working. We might be planting seeds in dry soil, but he will bring them to fruition soon. Keep digging.

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