Where Is God When I Hurt?

Where Is God When I Hurt?

Perhaps the hardest thing to deal with in the ministry is helping people when they have been hurt by others. There’s no easy formula for helping people through the process and there are no magic words to say that makes them feel better.

The hardest pain is when it impacts those who are closest to us. I once prayed with a woman whose child has been murdered. I had no sense of what to say or what to do. I was completely lost as to how to help her. All I could do was ride out her anguish with her and pray.

Her anger was focused on God but I was the closest person for her to reach out at. It was quite intense.

It’s hard to see it, when it is so close, but God is the Anchor through those times. We should be drawing closer to Him, not running from Him. When we lash out against Him, it pushes our Him away when we need Him the most. We forget that one of His actual names is The Comforter.

Who knows our heart better than the One who can actually see it? Who understands our pain more than the One who created us? Who feels our loss more than the One who watched His own Son die?

Hebrews 4:15-16

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

God is there to help us through our toughest moments. It’s okay to be angry and it’s okay to feel the pain. But don’t chase away the One who knows best how to heal those wounds.

Psalms 34:17-18

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”