How God Can Use Our Grief and Suffering
Since the beginning of the year, I keep finding myself in unexpected places — doing things I never intended to do. These things were not in my plans, nor on my lists. It's like I keep trying to get back to my old life.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever had the Lord unexpectedly usher you right off the road you were on and onto another path that is scary and unfamiliar at best, painful at worst, only to keep trying to navigate yourself back to "your road"?
Recently, in my attempt to reroute my detour back to familiar territory, the Lord posed the question, "What if this detour is really the road I want you to take?"
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Well, I don't like it.
You see, my latest detour involved the unexpected and tragic death of my brother, Gary.
Bitterly, Gary had walked away from the Lord some 27 years ago when our mom died. Her funeral was the last time he had anything to do with God, church or church people. Then, just six months ago, God put him on an unexpected detour back to Himself … that led Gary to forgiveness and redemption. The Lord changed his heart, and then he was gone — at 52 years of age. So many things Gary wanted to do, relationships he wanted to fix, regrets he wanted to make right and other plans that were simply left undone.
I could question why or react in anger. But that wouldn't change the fact that Gary is gone.
It's impossible to understand all the whys and detours in life. It is easy to question God when life doesn't make sense and we seem to hit a roadblock.
But, He is there to comfort us. We need only to yield to Him. How do we do that? Rather than turn from Him in our grief, we must cling to Him and what His word tells us so that we can go the distance.
The Bible tells us that God can use grief and suffering to ...
Cause us to rely on Him
"Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:9).
Develop compassion for others
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Develop obedience
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67).
Develop perseverance and maturity
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4).
Display His strength
"'My [Jesus'] grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I [Paul] will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Display His works
"This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3).
Teach us His ways
"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees" (Psalm 119:71).
Test our faith
"These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).
The journey of faith can be difficult, but may the hard detours and sharp turns in life lead us to a higher ground … so that we can accomplish all the Lord intends for our lives THIS VERY DAY!
"You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit" (Job 10:12).
