Where is God when it hurts?

Where is God when it hurts?

Where is He in the pain? The difficulty? The trial? 

Where is God when you don't understand? You can't make it on your own? You can't find any good in what is happening?

“Jesus obviously had the power to open the earth and swallow His opposition, but He didn't. I believe He restrained Himself because He trusted the sovereignty of His Father. In difficult times we, too, need to trust God's sovereignty." - Beth Moore, Breaking Free Day-By-Day

So where is God in YOUR trial? Where is He when you pray for His sovereign intervention, and yet in faith, you submit to His will? 

Do you believe He has your best interest at heart? Do you take Him at His word and trust He is working all things for your good? 

"This means if He has allowed something difficult and shocking to happen to one of His children, He plans to use it mightily, if the child will let Him." - Moore

Here's the catch...if we will let Him. Often we pray for relief. We pray against spiritual warfare, because we know we wrestle not with flesh and blood, and we often seek God to swoop in and save the day...or rather, just simply save US.

What I know of pain is that it is a process. What I know of the physical ache is that it comes with spiritual perseverance. If we allow God to work in and around us, seeking Him to hold us in the midst of our trial, then we give Him the freedom - and most importantly the trust - that He will work it all for our good...but we have to let Him work.

"God did not cause Judas to be a thief and a betrayer, but He did use the fraudulent disciple to complete a very important work in the life of Christ. Satan used Judas, but God ultimately took it over for His good work.” - Moore

Even when we cause our own strife - a choice, a chance, a consequence - in our sin and failure, He is mighty enough to take it over for His own good work. Even when we suffer at the hand of someone else, at no fault of our own, a victim of circumstance, even then He is still Sovereign and has not left us undone or alone. 

When we pray for His rescue, He may in fact answer. He may remove us, or the thorn we battle, and prevent us from further persecution. Or He may choose another way.

He may hold in the midst of the pain, He may choose to let us endure the trial. He may allow the ache but you can guarantee it comes with His promise of the work He is performing in us until it is complete. 

We are never undone. We are never alone.