Through the Pain

The Holy Spirit prays to God the Father for us. What a comforting promise! All those words we cannot form out of the depths of our pain and sorrow, all the times when we can do no more than whisper, “Jesus!‗He is there, pleading to the Father on our behalf. When we just can’t seem to pray, “God’s will be done,†He prays it for us (Matthew 6:9-13). The prayers of Jesus rise before the throne of God the Father, the One who loves His Son, Jesus, and the One who loves His people beyond compare (Romans 8:31-39).

Whatever life brings, we can take God at His Word: He will work in those things for good (Romans 8:28). A situation itself might not be good. In fact, many of life’s challenges and disappointments are heart-wrenching. But, as Christians, we can be encouraged. Jesus died, rose again, and is returning to destroy sin and death forever (Revelation 21:1-5). He knows our hurts, He is with us, and He is working through the bad stuff and through the pain to make us more like Himself (Matthew 28:20; Philippians 3:7-14; Hebrews 4:14-16). When we go through that dark night of the soul, we can lean hard on Jesus. He can use even our deepest pain to draw us ever closer to Himself.

Receiving the comfort we long for from God the Father will equip us for helping others who are walking through fire (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). God is there in all our troubles and through the pain, pouring out His comfort and compassion on us, so we can be there for others in their pain. Through it all, we know that, because of Jesus, suffering will not have the last word (Revelation 21:4). • Savannah Coleman

• In our world broken by sin and death, some things that happen are just downright awful. It might seem impossible that God is working in certain situations for good, especially if the things that took place were anything but good. How does it comfort you to know that God promises to work in all things for good, a process that will be completed when He returns to make all things free from sin, suffering, and death (Romans 8:28; Revelation 21:1-8)?

• Since the Holy Spirit prays for us, we can go to God with our hurts even when we don’t have words. What are some hurts you are experiencing right now?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Romans 8:26-30; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7