Where is God in My Pain?

“and they shall name [Jesus] Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 

Matthew 1:23 

Over the last several weeks we have been talking about seasons of deconstruction or disorientation. One catalyst for deconstruction is experiencing suffering. 

We ask —Where is God in my hardship? Where is God when life just seems too painful?

Christians across centuries have taken many different approaches to answering questions about suffering. Some answers encourage us to just trust God, but don’t take seriously the pain we are encountering. Other answers talk about God not causing harm, but leave us scared and hopeless that God is distant. This devotional is not intended to solve this major life-question, but rather to offer a perspective about God in our disorientation through a child-parent metaphor. 

This past week my almost 5 month old baby has been teething. This means that his hard, sharp teeth are slowly and constantly cutting through his own flesh. He wails and cries hard. He is in pain. When he is crying I feel for him. I’m sad for him. I do my best to offer comfort and relief. Ultimately I aim to provide safety so that he knows I am with him even when I can’t take away all the pain. 

There are seasons of pain and struggle for us all. We wail. We cry. We are desperate for some type of comfort and relief. Like a good Mother/Father/Parent —God does not cause pain. God is with us. She sees us. He mourns with us. They advocate for us. 

Today—gently bring to mind an area of affliction in your life. Maybe the pain is the very crux of your doubt in God. Hold that struggle in your mind and body. What hurts about it? What scares you about it? What do you wish was solved? Now take a moment to breathe and imagine God crying and speaking “I am with you.”