Thank Him For The Pain

“The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”

- Job 1.8 // AMP

The Jewish custom of wearing sackcloth and pouring ashes is an ancient tradition symbolizing profound grief, repentance, and humility before God (Google).

This post isn't for everybody. If this doesn't resonate with you, that's okay. Keep reading anyway in case this helps you one day. In fact, I encourage it, because at some point in our lives, this has been, is, or will be us.

Job was a righteous man, according to the bible. You KNOW you're righteous when God speaks of you as such, right?! In Job 1.8, God speaks to Satan, who at the time had come before Him in Heaven. In this verse, God says to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”

Stop here for a moment and reflect on the story of Job. Did you ever think that this is the point where all of Job's suffering began - when God showed off with him? The truth is that many of us have, are currently, or will suffer because of disobedience to God's Word, our own selfish desires taking precedence over God's will, because we're facing the consequences of our own foolish decisions, or perhaps because we fell victim to the consequences of someone else's foolish decisions. There are a small group of people who are like Job, who have, are, or will suffer for one reason - they are righteous, God-fearing, and God trusts them with pain.

How much longer will you continue to “How long will you torment and exasperate me and crush me with your words? (Job 19.2)

If Job's life was a movie, I'd imagine people watching and shouting, "God, what are you doing? This is the ONLY person who fears you!" In reality, God's ways are not our ways, and He always has a plan. There is a suffeing where you get to a point of asking God, "Why?" Where your friends and loved ones can't reach you. When every door you walk towards seems to wait until you're right in the middle of the threshold to slam in your face. When you seem to attract hardship and torment. When even the hand of God seems to be the one working against you. Believe me, I've been there. If this is you, let Job's story comfort you - God has a plan, and those who trust in God will be restored.

I'm not sure how long Job's season went on for, but mine went on for about 28-29 years. The intensity varied from numbing, to bad, to unbearable, to me just begging for death (all at random). I faced mistreatment and abuse, shame and slander, humiliation and disgrace, and pure injustice. The list is dense, but this will do; let's keep going. I've seen my greatest role models go through similar and even worse, and get crushed as they lost their entire lives (a story for next time). There were moments when there were consequences of personal choices at work in our lives of course... however, for most of the time, we wondered, "Why," because we couldn't trace back to what we had done wrong. God was gracious to reveal when we had done wrong, but as you may very well know, He seemed so quiet when life didn't make sense.

When God marks you and chooses you for His purpose, there is no telling what is going on or what He is up to. It's so tempting to blame and question Him, or to even demand answers from Him. But how often do we thank Him for trusting us with pain. You can trust many people with blessings and good times. However, have you thought of what it means for God to trust someone with pain and TRUST them not to leave Him?

The human body is hard-wired to a default that responds well to comfort and pleasure, and negatively so to stress or strain. This is why we are walk by the Spirit always and bring our flesh into submission to God (read Galatians 5.16). There have been scientific studies conducted on the effects of stress on the human body. Can you imagine how much emotional, mental, physical and even spiritual stress Job went through? Thankfully, the book of Job paints a clear picture (please read it when you get a chance). If you're in a tough season, reading this book might also encourage you and boost your faith.

Job suffered, but still, God allowed more to come His way. A righteous and blameless man. Let that sink in. Whilst we're on this topic, if you've ever heard the phrase 'God will never give you more than you can handle', take that memory or phrase and throw it in the bin. The book of Job clearly portrays a different image here. The truth is that God is God, and He is good, whether we understand or agree with His ways or not. Instead, replace it with Luke 12.48, which teaches us that to whom much is given much is required, and much more will be asked of those to whom much is entrusted to. It is no small thing to be trusted with pain - pain that breaks you - and, furthermore, to be trusted not to betray and walk away from God. In these moments, God is asking you to trust in Him and believe that He is who He says He is. He is inviting you to fear Him and be His friends; the most satisfying friendship with God is reserved for those who fear Him (Psalm 25.14), and I can bear witness to this to you as one who has walked through this and is reflecting from the other side.

Friend, if this was you and you've walked through it, thank Him. In His mercy, God showed you a version of Him that you would never have seen, met, or known had you not suffered the way you did. If you went through it and did not waste your painful season, then you have learned to fear the Lord. You have been approved as one who will not let go of Him, no matter what.

If this is you (currently), He is so close to you (closer than you think), and He loves you. Make no mistake, God is not doing this to you (as you can see in the example of Job), but He has allowed it for a reason. Why? I have no idea, neither do you, and that's a good place to be. Accept that you don't understand, and ask for His Holy Spirit to help you trust Him. Don't try to figure it out or escape it. If you've been chosen, you can't (ask Jonah). By His mercy, you have been chosen to be the one to be moulded through pain. My greatest regret is wasting moments of pain that were my deepest blessing. Once I learned to ditch my coping mechanisms, complaining, pity parties and whining, and ignoring God, and chose to fully embrace what I was going through with God and in full submission to Him, I saw Him. He shows me that He had never let His gaze depart from me. He was there all along, and He is there with you, too., watching to see if you will believe Him... if you will hold on to Him.

God is good. His plans are to prosper you and not to harm you. So with this thought in mind, thank Him for what you're going through. Remember Jeremiah 29.11 - this will be your comfort and your tool against the enemy as His voice echoes through the pain, saying, "God has left you. He does not love you. You are alone. You are worthless." Whatever God's purpose for allowing this to happen, you have been trusted to go through pain and glorify God through your faithfulness. He is trusting you to turn to Him, stand on His Word, believe His character - that He is who He says He is. He is trusting you to shine His light, even when your light feels like a dim candle standing exposed in a hurricane. He is trusting you to draw near to Him as He forges a story that He will then trust you to take to the world. But first, that story must begin with you and Him alone.

In my experience, I saw God the Provider, Comforter, Shephard, Protector, Vindicator, Redeemer... I met El Roi - the God who sees. I saw Him. I saw Him move in the lives of my role models who faced the unimaginable. I saw my role models hang on for dear life. I saw them refuse to let go of God. I saw myself refuse to let go of God, but His mercy and through His strength, because I saw a God I never would have seen had I not suffered with Him. God wants to reveal Himself to you. The question is will you allow Him to be what you need? Will you allow Him to sit on the throne of you heart and lead you? Will you let Him show Himself to you as God - sovereign above all? At the end of it all (and yes, it will end), what will you say of Him? Who will you say He is? That right there is the legacy that's being written through your pain; the story being written with each tear, each disappointment, and each burden. The story you will tell your children. The story you will tell the hopeless. "Who do you say I am?"(Matthew 16.15).

Many look at Daniel as the man who was thrown into the lion's den and was saved by God. How many see Him as the man who God trusted to be thrown into a den of lions - a man God could rely on to believe that He would protect Him when he called on Him? A man God could trust not to leave Him when faced with pain.

There are a few more stories in the bible of people God trusted with pain, waiting, challenges, and hardship. Daniel. Abraham. Esther. Joseph. How will your story be written? Will you question, blame, and despise God, or will you take your pain to Him and trust Him (especially when you don't want to)? Will you remain faithful? Will you believe that He is who He says He is? He is right there with you through it all. The question is, will you stay with Him?

If you're in a Job or Joseph season, take a moment if you will... write down everything you are feeling (or find a quiet space and say it aloud to Him). Weep, shout, lie in your tears if you must. Go through the pain with Him. Grieve. Then try to be quiet and still for a moment so you can make room for Him in your space (don't be in a rush to move on). Tell Him you trust Him, and tell Him you need His help to trust Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Who knows what your obedience is opening the door to? Who knows what preparations you are undergoing (hashtagging Joseph here...)? Who knows what part of Himself God wants to reveal to you (either for yourself or so others can be introduced to Him and find freedom, too)? When you've let it all out, when you have nothing left to cry or say to Him (in reverence and respect, that is), thank Him. Praise Him.

Here's a simple prayer that helped and still helps me.

Prayer:

Dear Father,

Though it feels as if You are slaying me and are against me, I will trust you (Job 13.15). I choose to believe You are good, and that Your plans are to prosper me and not to harm me. I don't understand, but thank you for trusting me to glorify you in pain and through suffering. I don't like this, but I know You have a plan. Please help me to hold onto you until Your time to close this chapter has come. I trust you.

Amen.

I hope this little reminder encourages you - in the end, God wins, and in every story, so do the people that wait on and trust in Him. He will restore you. He will vindicate you. If you are at the other end of your Job season, and have seen God's goodness through it all, I encourage you to tell your story to someone still in their season so that they may be filled with hope.

Yahweh is with you. Hold on.

If you need help praying for or about something, please click here and fill out our prayer request form. If you'd like for us to pray with you over the phone, please leave your phone number and request a phone call in the comments.

LWAP is a community, so let's do this together. Comment your thoughts below.

Jesus loves you [.... so do I].

- Pamela.

Jeremiah 29.11