Dealing with hard times

God Sees Your Pain

There it is again – the pain of that longing. It’s the reminder of the greatest hurt in your life. It’s a void you wish to have filled, but it feels like a chasm in your chest.

For Sarai, it was the desire for a child. Genesis 11:30 records the issue…

And Abram and Nahor took for themselves wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

We could think, Oh, great. Tell everyone! While everyone else is having babies, there it is in black and white…it blurts out the pain that Sarai was childless!

But when I read that fact in Scripture, it reminds me that a loving God noted that Sarai was barren. He saw her aching heart. He heard her cries. He knew…and He had a plan. Oh, it wouldn’t come to fruition when Sarai thought it should, but it would happen in a way and time that He would get the glory for it.

If you know the story, you know that she schemed and planned while she waited for God to answer. She told Abram to marry her handmaid that she might bear a son through her. Sounds ridiculous, right? It was a ridiculous for her as it is for me to come up with a plan to “move things along” in getting whatever it is I’m getting impatient for! We have to remember that God loved Sarai and He was doing something behind the scenes that would be so much better than she could ever dream up!

Thirteen years later God chose to allow 99 year-old Abram and 90 year-old Sarah to have a baby! Surely that’s an answer neither of them could have dreamed up! All the time that the statement was ringing in Sarah’s ear, And Sarai was barren, God was loving, working, and planning to do amazing things for them. Don’t you wish Sarah had trusted God? Don’t you wish she had never hurt her handmaid by putting her in the middle of her personal struggle? Oh, but wait ~

I must ask myself…

  • What ache is in my heart that I’m forgetting God sees?
  • What is causing me to be most anxious and fearful today?
  • Am I remembering that the Lord hears, knows and has a plan concerning that issue?
  • Am I quietly waiting and trusting my loving God?
    Philippians 4:6,7 Be anxious for nothing, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Not only did God give them a son, but his name is found in the lineage of Christ! Sarah could not have planned that. Friends, you and I will miss out on God’s peace and joy when we have tactics instead of trust and worry instead of wonder. God loves you and He cares about that one thing that is plaguing you today.

Today remember 90 year-old Sarah, holding a tiny son named Isaac. You can choose to smile rather than scowl. God has a plan.

Refresh your heart with the Truth,

15 thoughts on “God Sees Your Pain

  1. Thank you for this message today. I am waiting to hear for some health news for a family member and I needed to hear this message today.

    Like

  2. I too needed this reminder as I deal with a mom with Alzheimer’s. God’s timing is perfect. Thanks for sharing Denise

    Like

  3. Thank you for this message. I am definitely the impatient one that wants results now not later. I have been a widow for almost 21 years and I have dated a few times but of course I haven’t since all of the virus. I pray for someone to come into my life to love me and be a companion but as of yet that has not happened. I need to remember that God has a plan but I guess I do not have enough faith.

    Like

    1. I’m sure it’s difficult to wait! The scripture is full of reminders that God has our very best interest in His heart. While you’re waiting, draw close to him. Read His Word and be reminded that he’s able to do incredible things that are even beyond your own plans. Praying for comfort and Joy in your current circumstances. Thank you for sharing your burden. Praying with you!❤️

      Like

  4. Thank you for posting this encouragement. I too feel the pain that Sarah felt, but God shows me infinite love and joys through my nephews and goddaughters. Last Mother’s Day (2020), I went to church. This was a big deal as I usually skip this particular Sunday every year because it just hurts too much. However, we were having “drive in” service, and I thought it would be less painful as I would not have to sit as almost every other lady stood to be recognized and to receive her gift. (It is a beautiful way to honor the mothers. It just hurts.) Sometimes when you have waited for a while (so far 12 years), you feel like God has somehow forgotten. But He has not. He sees and cares. He showed me just that on this particular Mother’s Day. The bulletin given out had a picture of the word “love” and a pot of white tulips on it. My Pastor’s message was titled “The Riskiness of Love”, and my two goddaughters bought me a pot of, you guessed it, white tulips. A more perfect bulletin could not have been used. It was a great reminder of God’s love and plan. He orchestrates and weaves everything together perfectly. I just have to trust Him with my pain. 💕

    Like

    1. Amanda, I’m sorry for the hurt you’re experiencing, but what a beautiful lesson God is teaching you and you are showing to those watching you. You can trust God with your life. Thank you for sharing this sweet illustration of God’s kindness on that Mother’s Day. I know the girls you are influencing are grateful for your influence in their lives!

      Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s