Our Pain and God's Goodness
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the Scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
Romans 8:28
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Going Deeper:
During a worldwide pandemic, many of us may be asking: does God really love us? How can this be happening if he really loves us? When our good circumstances and health and finances are disrupted, do we believe that God is still good, or do we begin to doubt his motives?
Today, let us cling to this promise in Romans 8: “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” If God is all-powerful and all-loving and all-wise, there can only be one logical conclusion: whatever God does or allows in our lives is out of perfect love for us. After all, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” and “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 5:8, 8:32). God has proven that he is willing to suffer anything, sacrifice anything, and make any effort in order to love us. Can we trust in this, even in our suffering?
The origin of our pain or suffering may be absolutely evil: our own sin, someone’s sin against us, Satan’s attacks, or the lasting effects of living in a broken world. And suffering needs to be acknowledged and grieved, maybe over and over again.
Yet, if we are in Christ, we do “not grieve as others do who have no hope,” because the ultimate result of all of our pain is the same: our good and God’s glory (1 Thessalonians 4:13). God uses all things, even our greatest horrors, toward the most beautiful and perfect ends that we could imagine. He may use physical pain to grow our empathy and dependence. He may use chaotic circumstances to open our eyes to his consistent, strong presence. For many pains, we may not know exactly what he was up to until heaven.
In the book Trusting God by Jerry Bridges, the author puts it this way: “God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.” What would it look like to trust that God is using everything in our lives for our best, even if we have no idea how? Like a surgeon who must cut us open in order to heal us, God may cause or allow even extreme pains—and yet always with a gentle, powerful, loving hand.
Even if we can’t understand what he’s doing now, we must trust him, because he has proven himself good and trustworthy already. His greatest proof is at the cross, where he paid the highest price for our greatest good. A thousand smaller proofs are waiting for us in his Word, where his people reveal the story of his goodness and faithfulness. And, of course, we may look back at his consistent presence, his voice, and his blessings in our own lives.
I pray that God may use these painful circumstances to conform us more and more into the image of his Son, and to grow our trust in his beauty and his goodness. May God protect our hearts from bitterness and despair—like Job, no matter what our circumstances, may God protect us from charging Him with wrongdoing. In fact, in the end, may we have this incredible hope-filled perspective, eyes fixed toward God Himself: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). May you experience God’s tender goodness even now, and may you hold fast to faith in His perfect love toward you.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?