When Life Hurts - Encouragement Café - January 16

When Life Hurts
 By Carolyn Dale Newell

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10 NKJV

This promise is for the dear saint of God who has suffered for a while. A long while. I hope that isn’t you. I pray it isn’t you, but if it is, I’m relieved you have found this promise today. God has you here for that purpose.

He knows you feel like He has forgotten you. He knows the rhythm of your battered heart. He has collected your tears in a bottle, or a gallon jug. God has a message for you today, my friend. Hope for the momma who has all but given up on that child.

Hope for that sweet sister who awakens each morning, only to be reminded her husband is no longer there. Hope for the cancer patient who just can’t hear the words “cancer free.” Hope for the one living in tremendous pain, physical and emotional.

God is giving you that hope today. He wants you to hold onto this promise. Memorize it. Pray it. Hold God to His promises, because He is faithful. This season of suffering will pass.

Not today. Not the way you would prefer, but God loves you, and this too will pass.

We cannot understand why we hurt, nor why we struggle for so long. We certainly don’t comprehend the snowball effect while our trials enlarge as life speeds downhill. We can’t understand why a good God allows pain.

But we do understand God is good. We can sing “Good, Good Father” with confidence. We know truth, and this promise tucked away in Peter’s first epistle is the nugget of truth you need today.

We have been called to suffer. No, Carolyn, Peter says we are called to God’s eternal glory. Same thing. God receives glory from our story. Our testimony gives Satan heartburn because we didn’t fall apart. OK, maybe we fell to pieces a time or two, but the Master Potter put us back together. Better than before.

This turmoil you find yourself in is the refining process, and you, sweet friend, will emerge as gold.  That is His perfecting work.

When I consulted with Siri for the definition of establish, I heard certain terms that stood out: recognize, accepted, and show truth. A day will come when you stand firmly recognized as proof of God’s truth. People will know you made it, and they will be reassured they can make it too because of God’s rich truth.

The weakness you feel today is being overpowered by God’s strength. Suffering comes to make us stronger.

And settled. You will not always be tossed by the tempest, nor whipped by the whirlwind. Life will settle down.

Until our storms pass, we can trust in God’s grace. We can lean on His strength. We can remind our emotions of this truth and steady ourselves in God’s promise. A promise from a good Father.

PUSH through the pain. Pray Until Something Happens.

Heavenly Father, We praise You because You desire good for us, but sometimes to achieve good, there must be some hurt. We want it to end. We want You to make everything right, but more importantly, we pray for Your will. And we claim this promise knowing that You will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

© 2019 by Carolyn Dale Newell.  All rights reserved.

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