My oldest brother lived only thirty short years; he died when I was eighteen. Thirty-three years later, I still remember our family’s sense of hurt, shock, and disbelief. For years afterward, I dreamed about him. My father died in 1983, and my mother in 1990. I have lost several of my best friends to death over the years. Every time, the death of someone we care about hurts.

There are many things short of death that hurt almost as much, sometimes even more. I watched my father gradually lose touch with reality after a series of strokes, and then linger as little more than a vegetable for many months before he died. I have both friends and family that have gone through painful divorces, and others who have endured excruciating pain or debilitating illness for years. Still others live on the edge of reality, lost in dark passages of the mind.

Along with joy and pleasure, life brings pain and suffering. It seems so often that those who deserve it least hurt the most. How, we ask, could God allow a young child to waste away with cancer, or a vibrant young Christian to die? Those who live lives of immorality and depravity seem to thrive, while those who follow Christ are abused, scorned, and persecuted. The questions are as old as the book of Job, and we are no closer to good answers than he was. We do live in a fallen world, and everything bad in it ultimately goes back to sin. Still, though, that doesn’t answer the question of why, even among Christians, some recover from illness and some don’t. Why do some live long, peaceful lives, while others die in the bloom of youth? Since the world is corrupted by sin, why aren’t all of us equally affected by that corruption.

Some questions have no answer for us this side of glory, but maybe we’re asking the wrong ones. Why didn’t God leave us alone in our sin and disobedience, to suffer the eternal consequences? Why did he, instead, choose to suffer and die for us, to pay a price we could never pay? Why did he prepare a place for us in the glory of eternity in return for just a short period of obedience here? That’s not to belittle pain and suffering, because they are never little to the ones enduring them. At the same time, no matter how severe the problems life sends our way, God is bigger than all of them. He never deserts us, never forgets a single one of his promises.

When we suffer, we want relief. Failing that, we need strength and comfort. Relief, and release, often come through prayer, both our own and that of others, but not always. God is still sovereign, and, as the Word says, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and his ways are higher than our ways. He may intervene in a situation directly, and often does, or through the talents and skills of human beings. At other times, he will not bring us out of our pain at all, but he will always go through it with us. It’s at those times we need his strength to sustain us, and the comfort of fellowship. Strength flows from joy, Nehemiah tells us, and joy comes from our daily walk and relationship with God in Christ. Fellowship flows both out of that relationship with our Lord Jesus as well, and out of a loving relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord himself emphasized that when we minister to a brother or sister in need, we are in fact ministering to him. The responsibility here is not just for the sufferer to continue to reach out to other Christians, but for the rest of us particularly to minister to them.

On the day of my brother’s funeral, I remember being visited by one of our cousins. I was sitting alone with my grief in a darkened room. My cousin’s wife sought me out, and spent a few minutes just to talk and make me laugh. When we don’t know what to say, sometimes just our being there in times of grief and pain is enough. At other times, we may need someone to cry with, or to pour out our hearts to. I have a friend right now who is far removed from me physically, and it’s just not possible for me to be with her. What I can do, though, and what I do, is pray for her daily. I can’t feel or even comprehend the physical pain she feels, but I know she hurts. I have another friend whom I see often, and she also lives with chronic pain. In her case, my prayer is that the Lord will use me as a constant source of comfort and support.

If you’re suffering, or if you’re close to someone who is suffering, don’t forget first of all to reach out to God, always. Remember his promises, and seek his face in prayer every day. Draw strength from his Word, and from the joy of his presence. Spend time with him, and, as much as possible, seek the fellowship of other Christians. If you have a friend or family member, or a brother or sister in Christ who is suffering, do things that show how much you love them. Visit them if their health permits that, and laugh, cry, and talk with them. Send cards, or bring little gifts to brighten their day. Love can’t always remove a hurt, but it can help someone bear the pain.

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JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 1