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
When we endure suffering, we long for the God of all comfort to comfort us in all our sufferings. But to receive that comfort, we must first draw near to God, so that He will, in turn, draw near to us. But we often forget there is more to that verse. It reads:
“But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Jam 4:6-8
What does God opposing the proud, giving grace to the humble, and the admonition to submit to God have to do with drawing near?
I believe it is this: that hearts wounded by suffering can become hard or bitter when they draw back from the Lord. Dears, we must realize that a hard heart is a proud heart. A bitter and resentful heart is a proud heart. For hardness says, “The Lord must not know best; His ways are not best; my judgment about this suffering surpasses His.” And pride always exalts itself above God.
Of course we didn’t intend for our hearts to become hard or bitter when we first drew back from the Lord because of the pain of suffering. And pride was the very last thing that we wanted. But that is the deceitfulness of hardness, hat it is pride in disguise.
We need to yield and humble our hearts; and the wounds in our hearts will not be healed until we do so. For there can be no healing without the Lord’s grace, and the Lord gives grace to the humble. Humility is the trait of the Lord Jesus. Pride is the sin of Lucifer. The Lord cannot allow such a toxic cancer as pride to remain in our hearts, or indeed His profession of love for us would be a lie.
But it is not the Lord who is a liar. The enemy lies, our hearts lie, and the world lies, but the Lord does not lie.
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
back from the abyss
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