God is an extravagant lover, especially in your suffering
When my life does not go the way I hoped, it is easy for me to disengage by going into some kind of discouragement. These are the moments when it is imperative I remind myself that when things are not working out the way I desired, the LORD still loves and cares for me.
I must not conclude that my frustrated hopes and dreams mean God is not in my story. The truth is that God is choosing to write a story that is different from the one I expected.
If God is with you, then He is doing something good for you. Though you cannot perceive His mysterious will (Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 55:8-9), what He is choosing to write for you will turn out for your good (Romans 8:28). The LORD’s will for you is not about knowing all the facts, but about trusting the Author of the facts.
There are times in our lives that are excruciatingly painful and there is nothing we can do to alleviate the suffering. You cannot pray it away, manipulate it away, or wish it away. A positive mental attitude will only last a day or two, but you soon return to the pit of sorrow and anguish.
It is in those moments that the reality of life gone bad settles deep into your soul and the current circumstances begin to define who you are. It is in those moments when you need a significant realignment of the mind.
Though the fog is not lifting and there is no anticipation it will ever lift, we must be assured God has not abandoned us. God is working His plans into our lives.
The journey can go no other way than the way He has determined for you. It is the LORD who orders our steps (Proverbs 16:9). Before you ever entered into your suffering, God was there (Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:3-10). He was working, planning, strategizing, and developing things in such a way that would forever change you.
He is not doing this because He is harsh, distant, or uncaring. He is doing this precisely because He is kind, because He is with you, and because He loves you. The LORD’s love is more extravagant than we could ever imagine. When Job reflected upon these things, it caused a long reflective pause.
But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face. – Job 23:13-17 (ESV)
God is in your darkness. Talk to Him today, even if it is only a faint heart cry. He is finishing what He began (Philippians 1:6).
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