Why is this happening?
I’ve decided to follow God, to step out in faith and trust in His ways, why am I encountering all this pain? Often when we decide to step out in faith and trust in God, we expect that everything will instantly be sunshine and rainbows. That the peace that surpasses understanding1 and the security of God would envelop us, so that we would be free of problems; not for God to bring us into the worst of it. Doesn’t God love His children? Wouldn’t love mean steering us away from the storms of life, not sailing straight for them?
The backwards gift
Many times, when God gives blessings they’re wrapped in problems. For Mary, whom was blessed among women9, her gift was a serious issue at the time. For the Israelites freedom led into a desert10. For Daniel, his request for help found him in a pit11. For Joseph, his visions caused division and landed him in slavery12. God is not the author of problems, pain and strife13, but He does take the evil things and work them for His glory and our benefit14.
God can use pain like we use sand. Sand is a component of most things in our lives. It is used in concrete which makes our buildings, used to make glass which allow people to see, used in our electronics so we can have phones, TV’s and computers. It’s added to soil aiding the growth of our fruits and vegetables. Although we don’t realize it, sand is a major component in our daily lives, yet all of us when asking for a phone or a house would be upset and confused by receiving a large amount of sand. In the same way many of us are confused when asking for peace, hope and joy, we find yourselves amid struggles, trials and pain. Just like with sand, it’s where you take it that makes the difference between a blessing and a curse.
What does God do?
God creates good things, gives good gifts15, loves His children and no evil comes from Him. What about all this suffering? Why do we still have to face it? Many times, we feel we receive the blessing despite the pain, however, usually we receive the blessing because of the pain. The sacrifice is what gives value to the result. God in wanting the best goes through the pain. Jesus in his life learned obedience through suffering, qualifying him to be our representative on the cross. We are freely forgiven not despite His struggle but because of it16.
God doesn’t go around problems; God goes through them. He doesn’t promise to remove trials, for He is with us in them16. Throughout the bible God doesn’t remove the problem from the path of His people. He makes a way for them to make it through to the better thing on the other side. Jesus went through physical death to bring eternal life; and in the same way, the life which we desire is on the other side of the death of who we think we are.
What does God do with pain?
He goes through.
If God goes through, then I will, too.
Simply Difficult 