Reflection: Encouragement when life is hard

God knows what it’s like to go through really hard times. At first, this might not seem like such an encouragement. But let’s think about it. If God, knows, truly knows, how hard suffering can be – and he does, Jesus’ life and death are proof of this – then we are never alone in our experience of life. Second, God sees what no one else sees, so we will always be seen and heard. Next, as followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, so we will never be left to tackle life by ourselves.

As believers, we are on the winning side. Jesus has conquered death on the cross and so one day our struggles and pain will end. God is in control. He uses all that happens to us to shape us into something more, into the person we were created to be – a deep lover of Jesus. One of the ways he does this is through his word. The Bible is not a magic wand, and we may not instantly feel better after reading it, but it is powerful and will change us. It reminds us of God’s love, speaks truthfully about the realities of our world and our coming hope, and gives us prayers to pray when we are distressed.

Prayer:

Dear Father, you have all things in your hand. Please help me to turn to you for comfort when life is hard. Give me the words to say to reach out to you and to others. Amen.