Never Alone

Is your pathway difficult?

Does the road you travel seem lonely?

Do you struggle to find a reason for why you face the trials at hand?

Do you wonder how long your journey will last or if your suffering will ever end?

Trials in this life are not a question of “if” but “when.  Every person who has ever lived from the beginning of time has had sorrow enter into their lives at one time or another.  I’ve also learned through experience that suffering always involves some sort of loss.  There was someone or something that we once enjoyed that is now gone and that loss has left a void in our lives.  Even though suffering cannot be avoided, does this mean we have no hope? 

No matter what kind of suffering we may encounter, whether it's from sickness or a health problem, losing a loved one through death or abandonment, having a child choose to deny their faith, losing a job, or the betrayal of a spouse or friend ….. It is NEVER a surprise to God.  He foreknows exactly what path each of us must take in this life and when we need to follow it.  He knows how steep and long the road will be, but safely leads and guides us through it.  We won’t be aware of the many bumps and turns we'll find along the way, but Jesus tells us in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  We can safely follow our unknown path with confidence, guided by the light of His faithful presence.

Sometimes it seems as if we're traveling alone on our path of suffering but God reassures us in Deut. 31:8, “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”We will never have cause for worry or fear because we're reminded in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” During distress God is our only source of true peace, comforting beyond anything we could ever conceive or imagine.

Isaiah 53:3 tells us that Jesus was “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…” because He experienced extreme torture and agony on the cross that we could never begin to fathom.  Because of God’s deep love for His creation, our Deliverer chose the road of suffering and bore our pain and sin on the cross.  Jesus’ choice to die in our place gave us the opportunity to choose eternal life through His precious blood.  Our Father longs to carry the weight of our burdens and gathers each tear that we shed and stores them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8).  The Sovereign One knows we would never reach the destination He‘s planned for us except by following this specific road of heartache.    
The Great Physician has the power to heal the sick, physically and spiritually. He may choose to make us well either in this life or by ushering us into His awesome presence.  He is the Living Water, our Creator and the Sustainer of each breath that we take.  In Colossians 1:16-17 we are told that “…All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”  The King of Kings and Lord of lords has the power to do as He pleases to accomplish His will.  God always has the highest and best reasons for what He allows in our lives, but He does not always choose to make those purposes known to us.  “All things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purposes.” (Romans 8:28)  God continues to use our suffering for our good and bring greater glory and honor to His Holy name.

Our Infinitely Wise Father knows we would never make the choice to walk this dark path. We would much rather remain in the comforts of our complacency, traveling the easy road.  God has our best in mind and tenderly leads as the Good Shepherd who loves His sheep.  When we’re weary and exhausted from our walk and feel we can’t go on, He wraps His strong arms around us and carries us.  God tells us in Psalm 23 that “His rod and His staff comfort us”.  Our shepherd watches over His flock and protects us from any dangers that may cross our path.  “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” (Isaiah 40:11)  Our faithful Shepherd will never abandon His sheep.

We must keep our eyes on our Guide and Stay as He lead us safely to our destination.  Our Rock and Anchor will hold us secure through all the storms we may encounter.  Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed:  lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  No matter which path, no matter where it leads us, we must humbly go.  It is imperative that we continue trusting in our Father's promises and be commited to following His will for us through our suffering.  We must hold firmly to our Savior’s strong hand that has lovingly filtered every event that's been allowed to enter our lives.  We must remain faithful to the Author and Finisher of our faith until His work in and through us is accomplished.   

We witness the godly example of Job in Scripture and how his focus remained on the Lord throughout his journey of extreme suffering in his life. In Job 23:10 Job says, “But He (God) knows the way that I take;  When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”  God knew the exact path  Job was to take, and when and where Job’s journey of suffering would end.  Just as Job trusted God, it is imperative that we trust Him. Job knew God was working his suffering for his good, and we must also look for the ultimate benefit in why God is allowing our suffering.  We don’t all travel the same road of suffering, our paths may be very different, but the destination Christ intends is exactly the same for us all.  Our loving Daddy desires a deeper, richer, more intimate relationship with His children.  He is the Bread of Life who desires to use our suffering to bring more people into a saving knowledge of Him, to bring Himself glory, and to accomplish His eternal purposes.

There have been times that I've experienced sorrow in my life to the point where I thought my heart would actually physically break.  My husband and I have spent many sleepless nights on our knees, sobbing and crying out to God to intervene and put an end to our excruciating pain. All the while, God heard our cries and gently reassured us that He had all things under control.  As our hearts were breaking, we began to cling to the precious Scripture in James 1:2-4 that describes the purpose for our trials. “Finally my brethren, count it all joy when you endure various trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”   On the other side of that painful situation, we have witnessed our Father’s faithfulness numerous times in our lives.  God used that suffering to radically change us, humble us and brought us to the place where we could even have joy in the midst of our suffering.  Only our God can give us peace and purpose inside the fiery furnace.  When we see the result that the intense fire has had in purging and cleansing our hearts, we are amazed and thankful for the trials He allows. In our finite human minds, we may never fully understand our Father’s sovereign reasoning for allowing some of our trials until we enter into eternity.  However, even if we may not immediately identify the purpose for our pain, we CANNOT waste precious time questioning our Creator’s sovereignty. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13)  We can rest assured that our Creator does ALL things in perfect wisdom and goodness and does not have need to consult His creation before carrying out His plan. We are His workmanship and must confidently and completely trust Him, for HE ALONE is God! 

How about you, will you be found faithful in your suffering?  Are you trusting God to accomplish His will in and through you, and to others who witness your suffering? Do you truly believe that God has designed your path and every turn and bump has been lovingly placed in your way for a reason?  Just as Job was found faithful in all that he endured, will you also come forth shining as pure gold when your trial is finally over?   When this journey of life has ended, we must long to hear the words from our Master as the servant did in Matthew 25:23, “Well done good and faithful servant.”