God Redeems

Today's Daily Reading is from Stasi's new book The Ladder of Love, releasing on October 6 — pre-order your copy today!

Jesus warned us that in this world we would have trouble, and He knew what He was talking about. But He didn’t end with merely giving caution; He closed with hope: “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Suffering too is temporary, though the effects of it, the good and the painful, may last our lifetimes. We may limp. There is mercy in the limping. There is grace for us. There is help.

Psalm 34 reminds us that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (v. 18). Just as the Holy Spirit hovered over the unformed chaos of creation, He hovers over our areas of uncharted wounds. Our God, called the Man of Sorrows in Isaiah 53:3, is acquainted with grief. He knows. He understands. He walks with us in it. As He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He is with us in the fire. His tears mingle with our own. His heart for us is moved. His hope for us is unchangeable. His love is immeasurable. In seasons of suffering, we can come to know the comfort and solace of God in ways we never could have without it.

And though we may not welcome it, we can come to know God through suffering in ways that cause people to say, “I am grateful for it,” because whatever God allows, God redeems. He is faithful to use everything, and I mean everything, for our good. How that happens remains a great mystery. But friends, know that though God does use everything for our good, He doesn’t name everything good. Our God of the restoration, who walks with us both in and through every season of our life, is grieve by pain, by illness, by injustice, and by death. It was never meant to be.

Pain can either soften you or harden you. You can either blame God for it or invite Him in so that you bear it together. Invite Him in, dear one. Draw close. Even in the midst of agony, He is with you, holding you. He is your Potter, and suffering does not define you. Only God does. Miraculous crafting abounds throughout our lifetimes while we remain in our Potter’s hands.

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