when tragedy strikes
why suffering?
the suffering of fools
temptations, tests, and trials
why does God test man, part one
testing and the education of life
what my cat taught me about testing, and trusting
why does God test man, part two
we are the clay
judging suffering
when we suffer: a warning
help when we hurt
flip the switch
the poetry of drawing near
hearts wounded by suffering
what my thimble taught me
pride: the hidden problem with hardness
portrait of a yielded heart
the poetry of a yielded heart
comfort when we suffer
taking comfort: psalm 42
the poetry of taking comfort
comfort, comfort, o my people
comfort as a mother comforts
a rabbit trail
the joy of intimacy
the poetry of intimacy
God’s comforting presence
why don’t I feel God?
christians and suffering
I keep finding news stories about Christians going through intense periods of suffering, and how God’s grace kept them through it. In Back from the Abyss, missionary Gary Witherall, whose wife Bonnie was slain by a gunman while she was working in a Lebanese medical clinic, describes his descent into, and out of, the abyss of suffering.
He felt alone and empty. He felt like giving up his faith. Then something happened, Witherall said. The room seemed to explode in light and Witherall said he sensed someone — Jesus — talking to him. The voice said step back and look at your life. It’s been good. Then he felt somebody envelop him, though he was alone.
“I felt like His arms were hugging me,” he said. “You ever get a hug from a real good friend? … I can’t explain it. Anytime I read Scripture, I understand in a new way, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.'”
The felt presence of God, who comforts us in all our suffering.
If you have never felt God “hugging your heart,” as my granddaughter Grace puts it, please journey with me in my new series, why don’t I feel God? I am praying you will find answers and that life-changing love encounter with His Spirit.
Leave a Reply