Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
So often after reading the latest news reports about the on-going suffering in the world we live in we find ways to blame God. We get a diagnosis we wish we never got and we curse God. We read about yet another child that dies and we lash out at God for his seemingly careless disregard to allow this to happen.
For some reason, we have this idea that God should be this celestial 'Santa Clause' always lavishing gifts down on us. In a sense, we equate time spent in prayer and the ritualistic treadmill of church attendance with more gifts, more praise, and more prosperity from God. Yet, at the first sign of that diagnosis we receive, or that tragedy we just assume never happened we royally blame God, and for some, we walk away and hang up our faith as just another something that doesn't work.
We fail to see that in this life will be suffering and that life isn't always a bed of roses forever blooming, but there will be moments of walking alone in the desert wondering why we hurt. At times, our pain may be too much to bear, but if we trust our living Savior, the same Savior we trusted for our eternal life, we will begin to see the fuller picture of our suffering in our lives.
If we would only trust Jesus, instead of drugs and alcohol, we would see that He will walk with us through our journey. If instead of going to happy hour and downing a high ball to end this awful day, we sit beside some picturesque setting reading any one of the Psalms while gently reflecting on those words spoken by men of previous generations, we will begin to see God's active role in our lives as we go through our own excruciating hard times.
God does not want us to reject Him when those horrible life events come your way.
No. God wants you to embrace your Savior Jesus and trust him with your pain. It is only when we accept the reality of our suffering and all the pain that occasionally comes our way that we begin to feel the loving embrace of our Savior.
Our God truly does have a purpose for our suffering.
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