Episode 413
Finding God in Our Pain
Even in our darkest moments, God’s presence is a promise we can hold onto - Wesleyne
Word of the Day
Then I thought to this, will appeal the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds - Psalm 77:10-12
Summary
In times of pain and heartache, it’s crucial to bring every emotion to God, including doubt and insecurity.
Psalm 77 illustrates the raw feelings of despair and the quest for God's mercy.
While it's natural to question God in moments of suffering, remembering His past faithfulness can renew our strength.
The message emphasizes that God welcomes all of our struggles and invites us to reflect on His past deeds as a source of hope.
No matter the intensity of our trials, we are reminded that God is always present, holding us through the storms of life.
Takeaways:
- When feeling defeated, remember that God is not a God of defeat.
- Negative emotions are tools of the enemy and should not be embraced.
- Letting go of control and surrendering to God allows Him to work in our lives.
- Fully surrendering to God means taking our hands off the situation and trusting Him completely.
- Continually release worries and anxieties to God, trusting that He will take care of them.
Chapters
- 00:00 - Feeling Defeated
- 00:58 - God is Not a God of Defeat
- 03:18 - Fully Surrendering to God
- 05:11 - Continuing to Release and Trust
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Transcript
Do you take all of your pain, all of your heartache, all of those things in your mind to God? What about when you question him and saying, God, why is this happening to me? Why are you allowing this to happen to me? Lord, I can't see your face. just, my faith is wavering. I don't, I don't know what to do.
God wants us to take it all to Him. He doesn't just want the good parts of us. He doesn't just want the happiness and asking Him to help heal us or to do something in our lives. He wants your doubt. He wants your insecurity. He wants it all. In Psalms 77, starting at verse seven,
It says, the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? And I ended at verse nine.
What we see specifically in these verses is the writer of Psalms questioning.
Will the Lord reject me forever? Why would somebody ask that? Because they feel rejected by God. Has his unfailing love vanished forever? The finite nature of that. Asking, has this love that he's given me so often in the past, is it gone forever? Has he forgotten to be merciful?
Wesleyne (:Is he not giving me his mercy? And has he in anger withheld his compassion? So we can see that this person is at a place of despair. This person is in a place where there is pain, where there's anguish, where there is long suffering, where there's so much happening.
But the next verse, verse 10 says, then I thought to this, will appeal the years when the most high stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds. That was verse 12. So in one moment, we could be full of despair and asking,
God are you there? God are you hearing me? Have you left me? Are you angry with me? And God wants you to bring all of those things to him. All of the lament, all of the things that are on your heart, all of your heartache. He wants it all.
Wesleyne (:But after you get it all out, after you work through it all, then you take a moment and you say, you know what? God has never left me, has never forsaken me. I remember when I was down to my last few dollars and rent was due the next day and I wasn't getting paid for a few days. And suddenly,
a refund check appeared in the mail. Suddenly, a family friend said, hey, I want to help you out.
Or I remember when I was sick and my body felt like it could not get better and I was laying in the bed and I was bedridden for days. And then one day I started feeling a little bit better. And the next day I got up and I walked. So in those moments when you feel despair and you're asking yourself, has God forgotten me? Has he removed his compassion for my life?
I want you to say the simple statement, I remember when God, fill in the blank, I remember when God did whatever it is you need to hold on to in that moment. Don't forget that God, he will always be there. He's always holding you even when you're in the pit, when you're in the fiery furnace.
The heat is there. You feel it, but you're not getting burned. You're not getting destroyed. So remember, God is with you in this storm. God is with you in the valley. And take a moment and say, I remember when God, whenever you need a reminder of what God has done in the past.
