Walking With God Through Suffering When Life Feels Heavy
Revelation 21:3-4
[3] I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. [4] He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, no more fear. Our suffering is temporary; no matter how long it lasts, we can rest in God's promise that it will not follow us into eternity with Him.
I'm sure you have been through a time when suddenly everything just feels heavier. You wake up and, all of a sudden, the same routine sucks. Looking at a sink full of dishes or a pile of laundry, lighting it on fire starts to feel like a good idea. Everything feels like work or an inconvenience. Meeting up with someone feels like a chore. Even shopping for necessities is draining. What is this? Why can everything change from one day to the next like a switch was flipped?
It's sometimes called the Elijah complex. Elijah had an awesome spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, then shortly after, he was so afraid of Jezebel's threat that his motivation and faith seemed to vanish. He ran into the wilderness and asked God to end his life. Seems extreme, but I've been there. I've felt like death was a solution.
Last week, I had a severe crash, and it hit so hard that it lasted for a while. Suddenly, my normal routine sucked. I despised cooking, doing dishes, and seeing a dirty house. What was happening?
This crash showed me that my spirit was not aligned with His. I had started operating in my own power and understanding, and it led to God graciously stepping in. His grace came in the form of a roadblock that forced me to see that I was trying to control the outcome or work for something instead of trusting God and taking on His yoke.
The burden of trying to perform to be worthy is heavy and feels impossible. The Lord's yoke connects us to Him. Taking His yoke and walking alongside our Father means He bears the burdens of our lives with us. Think of a mature ox bearing the burden of a plow alongside a younger ox that's being trained and learning. The younger ox doesn't have to figure everything out or carry the weight alone. It just needs to stay beside the one leading it.
That's what walking with God through suffering looks like. We don't have to carry everything ourselves. We need to stay beside Him, follow His direction, and allow Him to carry what we were never meant to carry alone. When we stray from God's path and start operating in our own strength, life's burdens quickly begin to weigh us down.
God loves us so much that He will graciously motivate us to get back in line and let Him handle it. Instead of rebuking Elijah, God gave him food and rest, then encouraged him by letting him know he wasn't alone. That is awesome. Elijah was exhausted and afraid, and God's response was compassion.
Maybe that's something we need to remember when life suddenly feels heavier. Walking with God through suffering doesn't mean we never become tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, or afraid. It means we don't have to carry those things alone.
Walk with God and the burden is light; step out and pull away, and we start to feel the full weight of that plow.
And one day, we won't feel the weight at all.
No more tears. No more pain. No more fear.
Thank you, Father, for one more day. Amen.
Psalms 34:17-19
[17] The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. [18] The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. [19] The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
