In the book of Job, he has declared himself the innocent victim of God, saying that God will not answer his charge. Elihu, Job’s friend says God speaks to us through warning dreams (verse- 15) and through suffering (verse-19) in order to save, not destroy. (Verse-30.) As caretakers, we are grateful the book of Job encourages us to be gentle with suffering, reminding us that whether we understand or not we can always fully trust our loving God.
Do you believe that God will speak through your pain and circumstances? My personal history gives me examples of God speaking through the Bible, through others and even speakingthrough me. According to retired L.I. Bishop Wcela, “God’s word opens a dialog and invites us to speak back by our own words and lives.” The key is needing to listen. Who of us when in pain neglect prayer, isolate and stop reading Scripture? Welcome to being human, when we need most to ‘check-in with our God,’ we often do not.
Perhaps we are suffering from depression, Psalm 43:5, “Why are you downcast, my soul? Why do you groan within me? Wait for God, for I shall again praise Him, my savior and my God.” Although heavily weighed down, may we remind ourselves no matter how bleak things are, faith and hope can still break through.
Are there times we have struggled with that harsh voice in our head and think that is how God sees us? We might imagine God as a severe judge and that is not God’s true character. He is a loving parent who wants to relate to us out of love not fear. He isn’t condemning us He’s rooting for us. God does not tear us down He encourages and builds us up. Gratefully, we arereminded of God’s faithfulness in Jeremiah 31:3, “With age-old love I have loved you, so I have kept my mercy toward you.” What has God taught you about Himself and His love for youparticularly during a painful season?
Rachel Marie Martin wrote for Tiny Buddha Official on Instagram, “You do not learn how strong you are until you are pushed beyond what you thought you could handle, and you emerge on the other side with more bravery, grace and determination than you realized you even had.” As a caretaker, we live this each moment and as we ‘surrender’ keeping our eyes on the Lord, not the troubles, we will see and hear God’s voice guiding us. May we reflect on what areas of life we have difficulty turning over to God. Remember what we focus on gains the strength.
“As we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18. Focusing on our faith and trusting the One who knows what is best, will help us through life’s challenging moments. Let us do our best to keep checking-in to hear God’s voice.