Why does God allow dark times and hardships?

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Hope in Comfort

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
~2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Catch your breath now. That’s one long sentence. A modern editor would viciously restructure it into something simpler. I’m glad it wasn’t stripped down into less of a tongue twister, though, because it causes us to slow down as we read it. While I was writing one of my first books, Summer Storms, I was thumbing through my grandmother’s Bible, looking for inspiration, and noticed she had underlined these words.

Not only did these verses fit nicely with the scene I was working on, they spoke to my own need. You see, the catalyst for Summer Storms was the intense grief I felt after my grandmother died. I wanted to tell a story that would touch the hearts of those suffering loss and show some ways we deal with grief. Learning this message had captured her attention, brought me comfort and a new connection to her. I read it out loud several times, in different rhythms to allow it to penetrate my soul and heal areas still raw years after her death.

I wondered what was happening when she underlined these words. She didn’t have an easy life; one of twelve children growing up on a farm in eastern North Carolina during the depression and World War II. She wasn’t one to complain, though, and she had a wonderful smile. She loved to laugh and found joy in simple things. Yet, she found the need to take note of these words of comfort.

When we’re in the midst of trials or facing great loss, we tend to question why God would allow our circumstances. Sometimes we’re suffering the consequences of our actions, other times it’s part of the decay ushered into the world after the first sin. Either way, if God didn’t allow us to experience these trials and provide the comfort we need to get through them, how could we ever be a comfort to others?

If you’re suffering right now, open your heart to God. Look to Him for hope that the hurting will end. Allow Him to pour out His comfort on your pain and heartache. He is an overflowing well of comfort, so never fear that He will run dry and leave you in pain. God is filling you so that one day you will be able to pour into others. Soak up that comfort, remember it so you are prepared to pass it on.

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

Tags: #amblogging, Christian bloggers, Comfort, Faith, God, Hope, Hope in tragedy, Rebekah Lyn, Why does God allow dark times and hardships?

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Categories Guest Post
Author Onisha Ellis

How to see God’s way out of our troubles.

18 Jul

REBLOGGED July 18, 2020

July 10, 2020

“So, I was with some friends preaching in South Africa,” a preacher said, “when a blind woman who sat at the front came up for prayer.

The preacher told her Jesus loved her and wanted to heal her blindness. He then placed his hands on her head and prayed. In that instant, her eyesight was restored.

Who could doubt God still performs miracles? Blind see again, lame walk again, cancer ends, emotions become healthy.

But what happens to those, like me—whom God didn’t heal? What could be the reason?

Whether physically or spiritually blind, we all have asked that same question. How often, in our desperate, aching heart we ask: why, when, and how?

Why, why, why…

As we try to understand, we wonder: Why would He allow us to enter such dark times, endure so much hardship and face so many painful moments?

We take those questions to bed. They rumble in our minds during sleepless nights. Nothing makes sense. What went wrong? We lead lives that, by most standards would be considered good. We attended church every Sunday. And drawing strength from nowhere, we come up with activities to keep our kids busy. We silently endure the lay-offs. And we fret because the bank account mirrors our nearly-empty pantry and fridge.

But we’re full of questions like these:

Why is God so far, distant and seemingly uninterested in the unfortunate state of our country and the world?

He is not only interested, but He’s involved. He hears our longing; He knows our questions and He has the answer: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

We can endure because He’s close. We can move forward because He keeps us from crushing into despair. And we wait in anticipation because He understands our broken heart.

What about our broken plans? How can we bring back what we had before?

God sees our plans shattered to pieces before us. That’s why He reminds us of His own plans Those plans are to prosper us, not to harm us. They are to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

What will happen tomorrow, or next week or next year?

In spite of the anxiety that blinds us from seeing a new horizon, His restoring power is at work to bring a new beginning:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

The streams of reassurance open the way to new horizons. In the desert of pain, He makes the way for healing and in the wasteland of grief He brings the warmth of His comfort.

Where is He when we’re drowning in fear because of unexpected adversity? And where is He when we’re crossing through the fire of hopelessness?

He knows the precise place of our needs. He knows the spot where we hurt. And He is aware of the intensity of our suffering. And to it all, He whispers: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2).

There is hope.

Blindness, disease, heartache or financial hardship may invade our lives, but we’ll never drown in despair. And when the fire of fear draws near, it will never burn because He’s in the midst of our weakness. He’s at the moment we stumble, when anxiety visits, and even when danger lurks, He’s present with His protection.

He was present in that church in South Africa where Jesus chose to heal the blind woman. God didn’t heal my blindness, but He gave me 20/20 vision to see His hand at work. The same hand that is holding you, your situation, your silent loneliness, your pain and your heartache.

All He asks is for you to fix the eyes of your heart on Him. That’s when hope is born. Faith grows. And courage stands. The kind of courage that defeats all evil. The size of courage to simply believe. Believe that God will see you out of your troubles.

Let’s Pray

Father. Thank You for healing my unbelieving heart. Thank You for giving me eyes to see who You are, what You promise and how You guide.

What blinds you from seeing His hand at work?

Janet

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Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

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