What We Must Remember in the Midst of Our Suffering
LYSA TERKEURST
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“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)
I’ve been sitting with a sentence I wrote in my journal recently: Trusting God is holding loosely the parts of my life I want to hold most tightly.
It is true that God can be trusted. And God sometimes allows things to happen that bring deep sorrow. Can I really trust Him even while soaking my pillow with tears?
Sorrow makes us hurt. Sorrow makes us grieve. Sorrow makes us feel out of control. Sorrow makes us feel anxious. Sorrow can sometimes feel like pouring gasoline on our doubts. Many of us have heard 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (NIV). Yet we still find that hard to do when our pulse is racing, our heart is sinking, and our face is wet with tears.
We might be surprised that if we keep reading 1 Peter 5, we see verse 7 is referring to anxiety associated with suffering — and before the command to cast our anxiety on God is the instruction to humble ourselves:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:6-10, NIV).
My friend Meredith often reminds me of a challenging truth she received from the Lord: He can’t lift an unbowed head.
Whoa, what a powerful visual.
When we keep looking at outcomes we think are best and we become fixated on the idea that our vision for our future is the only good one, our necks become stiff from all that straining. But if we bow our heads in humility, we are in the right position for God to lift us up and point us in the direction He knows is best.
I guess this is part of what I’ve been missing.
Bowing instead of running.
Bowing instead of fixing.
Bowing instead of trying to make sense of stuff that may never make sense in my limited human mind.
Bowing instead of resisting Him.
Bowing instead of distrusting Him.
Bowing when things seem to be turning around.
Bowing when things fall apart again.
And bowing when the suffering makes me wonder about the goodness of God.
I’ve read these verses in 1 Peter many times, but I never tied this to my suffering. I never realized suffering can actually be a sign that God is leading us in the exact right direction: toward redemption. Suffering isn’t a pitfall preventing our redemption. Suffering isn’t proof that we should doubt God’s goodness. Suffering doesn’t mean that trusting God is too risky.
Suffering is our reminder to stay closer to God than ever before and not to resist His leading. God’s way is the right way no matter how confusing it gets along the way. And God’s time is the right time no matter how untimely it seems to us.
Father God, I confess I often attach my willingness to trust You to how my life is going at the moment. When things are going my way, it’s easy to believe You are trustworthy. But when things fall apart, my trust in You wavers as I struggle to understand what You are doing. Today I choose to trust You with what I cannot see, do not know, do not want and am afraid of. I surrender to You the outcomes and plans I have for the way my life should go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 27:13-14, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (NIV).
What are you waiting on right now? How do these words encourage you in the midst of suffering?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
