I’m a mother that cares about the well being of my children. I do my best to help them learn the hard things without experiencing the hard things. But, even in those efforts, some things just have to be learned the hard way.
When I watch my children go through something difficult or painful it hurts me deeply. In these moments, I wish I could trade places with them. I wish I could take on the weight of their pain instead of feeling somewhat helpless through it all. It’s an entirely different kind of heartache than I’ve ever experienced before, but it’s also a godly experience.
When I feel this way, I know I’m experiencing a little bit of God’s heart and how He feels towards us. His heart aches when we experience pain. He isn’t a heartless God. He feels deeply for His children.
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”(Psalm 145:8-9)
Sometimes, though, it doesn’t feel like God is overflowing with mercy. Sometimes it feels like God’s judgments are harsh and His love distant. Even when I think about Christ dying on the cross, the scriptures say it pleased God to bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10). These moments can be confusing and even tempt me to walk away from my faith. But, these temptations can only be successful if I fail to know His heart. I have to rely on the truth of His goodness in the midst of the pain.
The thing is, God doesn’t focus on pain. He doesn’t get caught up in the troubles of the world like I do. I have to live through the process on a linear line, but God—God has the bigger picture in mind. He knows the ‘why’ and He knows the end result. God knows that He Himself is in the end because He Himself is the beginning and the end (Revelations 22:13).
You see, when God allows something bad to happen, it isn’t because He wants to punish and hurt His children. It’s because He wants me to be strengthened through the process for whatever comes next. And, if I walk through the pain holding on to the truth of His goodness, I will walk out of the pain stronger, wiser, and with abundant love and understanding.
God get’s excited when we overcome. He is pleased with the bigger picture. He is exuberant with the process when He knows that the outcome will be great. When Christ was betrayed, put on trial, abused, and crucified, God was pleased. He was pleased because He knew the end result was Him—the hope of salvation and the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the Creator.
Now, this next part is a little instance. Stick with me on this, please.
When God allows the Devil to take action in our lives, He does it willingly, knowing already what the outcome will be. Too much credit is given to Satan when bad things happen. But, if I open my eyes to see God’s bigger picture, I will know that the Devil is just a tool in God’s hands. It took a betrayal to have salvation for all mankind.
Another great life-example of this is Joseph. It took being sold as a salve and abandoned by family to save the lives of many. The best part about it all is the fact that Joseph himself recognized this. In Genesis 50:20 Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
So, you see, some times bad things happen because the outcome is well worth the pain of the process. How I handle the pain and the process is the most important part, though. It’s necessary to hold on to the truth of God’s goodness and to see His unfailing love in the midst of it all. That’s how bad things become great victories. That’s how pain turns to triumph. That’s how God saves.
God knows that He is the beginning. He knows that our free will shapes the middle. And, He knows that ultimately, no matter what happens, He will be the end.
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