In Psalm 56:8,
Yes, he works all of our sufferings for his glory and our good. But he does not enjoy breaking us. He does not take a perverted pleasure in seeing us brought to nothing. All suffering is the result of sin in the world (not necessarily personal sin, but the fact that sin is in the world).
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” This has been true for us as we've now walked with others who've experienced a miscarriage or even difficulty getting pregnant.
Through the scriptures, we are taught that God will always hear our prayers and will answer them if we address Him with faith and real intent. In our hearts we will feel the confirmation that He does hear us, a feeling of peace and calm. We can also feel that everything will be fine when we follow the Father's will.
When we are suffering, God is right beside us. Nothing can separate us from His love. He wants to show us His love through His church, and give us a purpose through His Word!
Suffering causes our focus to turn inward, to face those parts of ourselves we might otherwise ignore. God can use suffering then to develop us into better people: the people who can love and enjoy Him forever (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).
Sometimes when bad things happen, they empower us to act and serve. Even the Savior, our example, suffered infirmities, “that his bowels may be filled with mercy” and so that He could know “how to succor his people” (Alma 7:12). Trials can open our eyes to those who are suffering.
He hears our cries of unhappiness, pain, frustration, exhaustion, and fear. We can be honest with Him. His listening ear is always open to our prayers. His loving heart wants to embrace us as we cry on His shoulder.
Fifteen hundred years after Noah's great flood, King Solomon was receiving some advice from his father, King David, who said this, ” … for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts” 1 Chronicles 28:9. In other words, “Be aware of what's in your head, son. God sees it.”
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The Good News: Though you may feel defeated, God is closer than you realize. He is always with you and can heal your heart.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” The Good News: Even when you're in low spirits, God still loves you.
When God takes away a sinful habit, He replaces it with a better way of living. When He takes away gossip or cursing, He replaces them with words of love and encouragement. God doesn't just want to remove the bad things in our lives; He wants to replace them with His goodness; to remake us from within.
Our suffering comes from our denial of our divine nature, our lack of appreciation of our connection to all things, our resistance to impermanence and our addictions and attachments to things that only bring temporary relief.
God wrestles with our sufferings; he cares when we suffer. God's wrestling with our suf- fering is imbedded in the suffering Christ en- dured which is beyond all understanding. He bore the punishment of the sins of the whole world.
Suffering is an unpleasant or even anguishing experience which can severely affect a person on a psychophysical and even existential level. Like suffering, pain is also unpleasant.
Not at all. Sometimes God waits to answer our prayers because He trusts us to make the right decision. Other times, God requires us to patiently wait for an answer so we can build our faith and trust in Him. And on some occasions, God gives us answers, but they may not be what we'd hoped for.
Silence and solitude are essential aspects of contemplative prayer, a practice of prayer that waits on God and trusts in God's present love and grace. While silence can be especially helpful in becoming attentive to God while praying, it is hardly an excuse to remain aloof from the needs of our neighbors.
The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping. He gathers up all your tears and puts them in his bottle (Psalm 56:8).
“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain….” (Revelation 21:4). Ultimately, there will be a glorious day when you will feel the Hand of God gently caress your cheek, wiping away the tears you once cried.
"The righteous call to the LORD, and he listens; he rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope."
The Bible teaches that God's sovereignty is an essential aspect of who he is, that he has supreme authority and absolute power over all things. And yes he is very much active, despite our perplexity. Scripture says, God works “all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
And, it means that God never leaves or looks away, no matter how horrible something may be in our human existence. Where is God when bad things happen? God is right there with us.
The Bible tells us that even as we walk through hard times, God is with us (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). Hard times are never pleasant; however, God can teach us a lot through hard times. During hard times, we will face trials, temptations, and tribulations, yet the Lord never leaves us during these times.