You know, I am joyful every day! When I pray, read my Bible and think about God. God gives me joy.
But, the pain is unbearable. It makes me miserable. And hopeless! And the fact that I know it is only going to go downhill from here.
But God ministered to me a few weeks ago. He said, “You’re on your way home!” What a joy, to know that while I am to endure in this life, I have so much better to come. Whether in a day, a week, a year or in decades, I am on my way home!
And that better is not just being out of pain. It is better because I will be with Jesus, and see him face to face! And that gives me more joy than anything else. Meantime, I occupy till he comes, but I will not lie about the terrible pain. Denial is a lie!
As Christians, we need to be brutally honest with ourselves. If our misery is of our own doing, or a habit of being angry, hating life, well, some help might be needed. Prayer, doctors, life style change. I know God can always help that kind of miserable, he certainly helped me in that state.
But, in this life we will have tribulations. And I hate people that say believe, when they mean “deny what you are feeling” or change, when God has not led them to change. Or quote Isa. 53:5d at me. Sorry, I need that verse in the context of all of Isaiah. And then all the miserable people in the Bible. Jeremiah and Hosea come to mind. David and the saints in the NT who died, as someone posted earlier!
Or the modern saints who suffered depression, but did God’s work anyway. Like David Brainerd, and his work with natives, or Spurgeon with his depression, which actually enriched his understanding in ways we cannot begin to imagine.
God is good! And Jesus has won. But the fulfillment of that awaits the return of Jesus. I do hope that didn’t discourage anyone. But Joyce Meyers preaches heresy, as SG has pointed out. And WoF teachers teach heresy, and I will oppose them. Always remember God is good and he loves you. But sometimes, love means suffering.
”More than that, we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out to the Holy Spirit who has been given to us!” Romans 5:3-5