Where Is God When I'm Hurting?!

I'm sure we don't have to sit for very long in order to think of times where you were hurting.  Maybe even it's happening right now!  A loved one passes away, a good friend moves away, a pet dies, your crush doesn't return your feelings, your bf/gf breaks up with you, family struggles, ect.  These present times are full of turmoil, but pain is nothing new.  Ever since Eve took a bite out of that apple, pain has been a common occurrence in this world; being a stranger to none.  But some of my life heroes are the brave men and woman who shine through the dark clouds; their smiles through the tears and their laughter in the sorrows have always captured my attention and been such an encouragement.  I understand what some of you most likely are thinking, "Sometimes the storms in life are too strong!  I cry out to God, but He feels so distant!  Why can't I hear Him!  Where is God when I'm hurting?!"

The answer, in Isaiah 63:9, 

"In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old."

The answer is that when we are hurting, God is hurting.  Remember a verse in the Bible that talks about the tiny sparrow that falls and God cares for it?  And yet He cares for us even MORE.  The verse above speaks about how God feels His childrens' pain and sincerely will experience the hurts we feel in our hearts.  It pains Him so much to hear and feel our tears and anguish!  But why is it that we feel He doesn't?  We've got to face the fact that hurts are apart of life; we all experience them.  But God wants us to view these trials as stepping stones.  After all, when you're training for a marathon you're not going to feel 100% great when you first begin.  Your legs are burning, you're out of breath, and you feel like you'll never be able to make it!  But when you keep persevering you'll see the finish line.  Same thing here in a trial.  God is putting us through trials and hurts to nock off the rough edges in our lives, purify our faith to make it stronger, and make us more and more like Him.  However, if we DON'T see God's purposes in these hard times we'll end up with bitterness and that will turn into a hate towards God and those who offended.

Believe me, I never caught my hurt before it turned into a full out fledged bitterness.  I literally HATED those peoples' guts for doing those things to me.  I practically let it fester and boil!  And when you are bitter against someone you're literally killing them with your mind.  You're murdering them with your thoughts!  We don't want to call it that, but we are really a murderer.  That was a rude wake up call for me.

Another thing, other people are watching you through these trials.  There was a family in our church who had a son named Bryce.  Bryce had been diagnosed with cancer ever since he was very young and fought it all his childhood.  Bryce and his parents went through so much and we all knew they were in pain and suffering, but yet they still had that smile on their face.  Their testimony through that, even through Bryce's death, reached many lives.  They saw that trial as a chance to show Christ to others!  The outcome is probably not what they would have preferred, but through Bryce's testimony in the hospital, and ultimately in his death, he reached far more people than he probably would have if he had been cured.  You may not think so, but people who know (or will find out) about this situation you're going through will be watching you.  Maybe even unsaved friends at school or relatives!  They'll see how you respond to this and if/when you chose to respond right you'll have the opportunity to show Christ.  This is your chance to be a witness! :D

The third point, God wants to change you through the hurt.  There is a reason He is having us go through these trials, upsets, disappointments, and hurts; it's to mold us more into His image.  Think about a rock with sharp and jagged edges.  You're not gonna get those points off with a cloth, are you?  No.  You're going to need chisels, hammers, and heavy duty power.  Same with us.  We have edges that God is going to continue knocking off and He does that through trials.  We'd never get those things taken care of with an easy going life, but when trials comes it forces us to be rubbed against that grader that shaves those edges off.  It's a process God intends to pull us though, don't worry.  He WILL help us though...and that is the last point.

God will NEVER leave us.  Just like I said before, He feels our pain and He'll be right there to help you through.  He feels and hears our tears and cries and when we're hurt all we have to do is go to Him.  RUN to Him.  Allow Him to work and pull you through.  Cry out to Him!  Voice your fears and disappointments; your concerns and confusion.  Let your heart pour out to Him because He never left, He's still right there.  He's just waiting to hear from you. :)

Take a moment to get on your knees and THANK Him for what He has brought into your life.  Tell Him that you have identified your need of His help and ask Him to shine through your life to others who are watching.  Ask Him to help you forgive those who've wronged or hurt you.  Talk to Him about that circumstance that has worried you for so long.  Just talk to Him!  You can't build a relationship with someone if you just read about them or wave now and then.  You talk.  So why don't you spend some quality time talking with your Heavenly Father. :)

Emily