The voice on the other end of the phone was frantic for answers and disenchanted with God. Pain and suffering marked her words. Her body is shutting down and the medical community seems unable to help and so her pain and suffering is prolonged. Where is God? I don’t feel Him anymore, she laments.
There have been many times I have had the same questions when in the midst of a trial so painful to endure. Jesus said, “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John TLB) My assurances that God had not left her fell on deaf ears because the pain in her body was so terrible. All I could do is pray…
Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. (Ps. 23:4 TLB)
We are assured in the darkest, most terrible times that our Lord, our Shepherd will be close beside us. Notice it doesn’t say we will feel Him there. Whether or not we feel Him, He is surely there beside us wanting to guard us from what we cannot bear, and guide us all the way through the difficult times. “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5 KJV) Yes, God could choose to provide a miracle and instantly our trial would no longer exist. Of course the Creator of the entire universe is capable of doing such thing, but for reasons only He may know, He often chooses not to respond with the miraculous. Imagine how weak of character we would be if we never had to struggle through anything. Struggles provide character building (Rom.
So we have the assurance of the Lord being with us in our times of trouble, but it doesn’t end there: because He comforted us in tough times, we are supposed to help others the way He helped us. “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Cor. 1:4 KJV) God didn’t intend on us going through our trials alone. He is with us. He also provided the comfort of others who have struggled themselves.
Doesn’t it seem like in today’s culture that maybe we don’t have the time or patience to walk alongside someone who is struggling. We want them to hurry up and get through the suffering at a pace we feel is acceptable. (The only thing I’ll say about that is: I’m really glad the Lord wasn’t that impatient with me or surely He’d have abandoned me long ago!) Perhaps in the midst of our trials, the purpose of the people walking beside us is to remind us, verbally and by their presence, that the Lord is close beside us.
The Lord is always close beside us.