Peace in Pain

Can we have peace while in the midst of pain? This is an age old question. To expand that further, is it possible to have peace while we're in the midst of our greatest struggle, suffering, pain, heartache? The short answer is "yes."

"How?" You ask. I believe in a God Who is all-knowing (omniscient), all-present (omnipresent) and all-powerful (omnipotent). He gives the peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7) And I trust that He is a good God Who will to give it to me, especially when I ask.

Now maybe you're questioning how He can be good if He is omniscient and yet He doesn't necessarily stop the suffering or pain that we're going through, or He doesn't always stop the suffering of others we see.

That's a good question. You are not alone in your thinking, questioning or even doubting. In fact, I have been there too. I will get to that later. We need to understand His character. How is He good? What makes Him good?

Maybe asking that question is triggering to you because you haven't seen His goodness in your life. Bear with me, if you stick with me through this post, you may find comfort and even peace.

Let's go back to the beginning. As stated in the scriptures, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) It also says that He created all life, including mankind. He looked at everything He had made and "saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)

First, when I'm tempted to doubt His goodness or the enemy is whispering lies in my ears, I tend to go to Scripture. God's Word never fails me. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (II Timothy 3:16)

What does the Bible say about God's character? Well, there are many places that His character and attributes are spoken about, but let's go to places in the Bible where the people are struggling with this thought. I think of David, the shepherd who became king. There's Job, the wealthy and prosperous man who lost everything, except for his tempestuous wife. I think of Paul, the apostle who suffered greatly for Jesus. Then, of course, I think of Jesus Himself. There are others, but for now I will focus on a couple of these.

David: He grew up as a solitary shepherd and was then anointed as king. However, years before he became king, due to jealousy from the current king, he was pursued to be murdered. David had enemies on all sides, and he often wrote psalms to depict his despair and struggle. For instance, in Psalm 140, he says, "Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men who devise evil things in their hearts; they continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips."However, at the end of the same Psalm, he says, "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence."

David is recognizing his feelings of fear and the desperate situation that he's in. Yet, he trusts in God the entire time. He knows that God is good and trustworthy, so he calls out to Him.

Job (found in Job 1 & 2): This man served God faithfully and led his household to do the same. His reputation was well-known in his vicinity. He asked for forgiveness of sins he committed and for the sins of his children, if they committed any. He was wealthy and prosperous. He had everything, truly. Yet, at the beginning of the book, we see a discourse between God and Satan. Of course, Satan is looking to stir up trouble and God wants to boast about his faithful servant, Job. Satan believes that if God took away everything then Job would stop serving and loving God. God allows Satan to wreak havoc and test Job. Job loses pretty much everything, except his health and his wife. Job still praised God. Round two, Satan isn't satisfied, so he asks for permission to take Job's health. God allows it. Job still praises God, even when his wife blatantly says, "Curse God and die." (Job 2:9) Job's reply to his wife in verse 10 is a wise statement of where his heart stands. "He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?'"

God created us and he knows what is best for us. He will give us what is best and that is good. He does not wish harm on us. He doesn't like to see injustice, pain, suffering, etc. He is unwilling that any of His creations perish, especially eternally. He has a great big heart.

He will show justice in the end. When Jesus returns to earth and all will bow the knee, if you haven't already surrendered. He longs for everyone to join Him for all eternity, but He does not force anyone. He gives us free will, and because He does, more and more people choose to go their own way. They choose to sin, which hurts themselves, others, animals and planet earth.

What God does is beyond our comprehension, but He is good. He does seek the good of His creation.

Yet, with all of this knowledge, like David and Job and many others in history, we can find rest for our souls in God. He runs towards those who take a tiny step of faith in His direction. You don't need to suffer alone. Run to Him.