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Glory · Suffering & God's Will
God is not distant from your pain; He is near to it. He knows your specific tears, He is with you in the valley, and He has entered suffering Himself in Christ. His presence in pain is not a vague comfort but a covenant promise, and He is working even the deepest valley toward good.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/where-is-god-in-my-pain · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Psalm 34:15-22
As you read: The nearness of God to those who are crushed in spirit, and the invitation to taste and see that He is good.
15Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.
16Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.
20He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.
21Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.
Psalm 23
As you read: The Shepherd walks through the valley with his sheep; the comfort is not escape but presence.
1Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
John 16:25-33
As you read: Jesus is honest about the trouble His people face, and promises His peace and His victory.
25I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But the time is coming when I will no more speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
26In that day you will ask in my name; and I don’t say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you,
27for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from God.
28I came from the Father, and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”
29His disciples said to him, “Behold, now you speak plainly, and speak no figures of speech.
30Now we know that you know all things, and don’t need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”
31Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
32Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-11
As you read: The Father of mercies comforts us in all our affliction, so that we can comfort others.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
4who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ.
6But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.
7Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so also are you of the comfort.
8For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.
9Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,
10who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver; on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
11you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift bestowed on us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf.
1 Peter 4:12-19
As you read: Peter's frame for suffering: rejoice to share Christ's sufferings, and entrust your soul to the faithful Creator.
12Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you.
13But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.
14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
15For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or a meddler in other men’s matters.
16But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.
17For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Good News of God?
18“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly and the sinner?”
19Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.
The psalmist says it plainly: 'Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.' God does not wait for you to be whole before He comes close; He is nearest when you are most broken. He heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds, and He says He dwells with the contrite and humble to revive their spirit.
“Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.”Psalm 34:18
“He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.”Psalm 147:3
“For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”Isaiah 57:15
Your suffering is not anonymous to God. The psalmist could say to Him, 'You number my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle.' Jesus taught that the very hairs of your head are numbered. This is not a God who handles suffering in general; this is a God who knows exactly what you are carrying, and who has counted it.
“You number my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren’t they in your book?”Psalm 56:8
“but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”Matthew 10:30
“Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.”Psalm 139:1-4
The twenty-third psalm does not promise we will never walk through the valley; it promises the Shepherd is there: 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.' God's word through Isaiah is the same: 'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.' And He adds, 'Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.' His presence is the promise: He is with you always, even to the end of the age, a stronghold in the day of trouble who knows those who take refuge in Him.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”Psalm 23:4
“Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”Isaiah 41:10
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.”Isaiah 43:2
“teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”Matthew 28:20
“Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.”Nahum 1:7
In Gethsemane, Jesus said His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even to death, and He prayed that the cup might pass. He was 'a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease,' and at the tomb of His friend the Scriptures record two words: 'Jesus wept.' He does not watch our pain from a distance; He has known it, and He is able to help those who are suffering and tempted.
“Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.” He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.””Matthew 26:38-39
“He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.”Isaiah 53:3
“Jesus wept.”John 11:35
“For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.”Hebrews 2:18
“For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.”Hebrews 4:15-16
For those who love God, all things work together for good, even the things that feel nothing like good today. God is 'the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction' so that we can comfort others. And the end is not vague; it is a promise: 'He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes... The first things have passed away.' Even on the darkest day, He does not cast off forever; though He cause grief, He will have compassion, and He does not afflict willingly. Courage: in the world you have trouble, but He has overcome the world.
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”Romans 8:28
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.””Revelation 21:4
“I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.””John 16:33
“For the Lord will not cast off forever. For though he cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.”Lamentations 3:31-33