May God help us all as we each suffer

There are many words of Jesus that offer comfort to people. We sit and wonder how He could do that, knowing that the suffering people would have to endure would be so great, and yet, how could He not?

He endured much Himself and He did it through trusting in His Father.

Worrying is a great past time for many. For some it's a way of life. You wouldn't think so but worrying can give a person a sense of *doing something* when there is little they can do. We trouble our hearts all the time don't we? We worry about everything from whether our next meal will be appreciated, cooked satisfactorily, to whether or not we'll have money to pay for the bills, to our health and the health of our loved ones. People will tell you worrying never accomplished a thing, and others will say they wish they didn't have to worry. And then there are those who look at you if you're not worrying and can't believe that you aren't, especially when a situation arises that has them worrying.

Do you believe in God?

If we believe in God we have to believe in Jesus. Yes, I said have to. People may argue if they like that many believe in God but not Jesus and all I have to say about that is they're going to be in for a rude awakening when they realize that God sent Jesus into the world, the Messiah, their Savior, and they rejected Him.

Jesus doesn't want our hearts to be troubled. He knows how desperately we want to be with Him. We live in a world that throws constant reminders at us of how horrible life is and we long for the life that is promised.

Do you have anyone in your life right now that if they said to you, 'Don't worry, I'll take care of it.' no matter the situation, that you'd believe them and trust them enough to not worry?

Maybe it's your husband, your wife, your mother, your father, a trusted friend, a relative, or maybe there isn't a single person alive that you trust with such faith. Maybe even if they say those words, 'Don't worry, I'll take care of it.' you'd still worry until it was all resolved. It takes a great faith to be able to stop worrying on the word of someone else, doesn't it? Great faith.

We learn through life not to trust others when we face disappointment after disappointment. We start out trusting when someone says 'Don't worry.' and we end up not trusting when they do nothing to alleviate that worry because they don't take care of the problem. We gripe and moan and ask them why they didn't do as they said and excuses come along, good ones as well as bad, and in the end we learn to not trust that person and our faith to trust any others is a little more broken.

On the same token, if we have experienced the opposite and have trusted in someone on their word and they always come through for us then our faith is built. We learn to trust them more and more and in general trust more in people.

Do I daresay that more people experience disappointment than not? I have no facts to base that on, but it seems to me that placing our trust in people is bound to disappoint often, whether through fault of their own or not.

Satan likes to use that with God all the time. He throws scripture out there about being able to trust in God and how God will never fail us and then he points at situation after situation where God has seemingly failed us. A lot of atheists insist that the world itself declares there can be no God, that no God would let a world be such an utter failure, no God would allow such horrors that are in the world to exist. Satan does his job well when he gets people to believe that way. He goes after those that have little faith and tries to convince them that God has failed them time and time again even though He says to trust Him and He'll take care of you.

Troubled hearts, worry over life and the situations we exist in, worry over where our next paycheck will come from, where the money for the electric bill will turn up, how long before our water is shut off, when will they come to evict us, these are all real worries and telling someone to trust in God as they watch their belongings tossed to the street, or as they turn the water tap on only to get no water, or they open a cupboard to find food for their children and its bare, telling them to trust in God might make them want to laugh in our faces. Easy for us to say, right? We have food, water, a roof over our heads, our children's bellies aren't aching with hunger.

Yes, Satan has done His job well and continues to do it marvelously because trust is something rare. Trust is something that people are afraid to do because they're afraid that if they trust they'll only be hurt again.

What do we have to trust in when we trust in God? Is it that he'll care for our every need? Then why are God fearing, God loving people starving right now? Why are Godly people watching their children suffer? What is God's promise to us? Jesus said ...

Luke
{12:22} And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
{12:23} The life is more than meat, and the body [is more] than raiment.
{12:24} Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
{12:25} And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
{12:26} If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
{12:27} Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
{12:28} If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [will he clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
{12:29} And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
{12:30} For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.


Take no thought for your life. Uhn? If we don't, who will?
Take no thought about what you will eat. Hold on, a person has to eat, we have to think about it and be concerned, don't we?
Take no thought about what you'll wear. Now that's just...wrong. We have to have clothes on don't we, if not they give us a free set of clothes in nice prison orange.
Sure, sure we can look at the birds, and no we can't had height to our bodies, and sure the flowers are beautiful, and yes, God takes care of nature and yet how can I trust God when I haven't a clue where the next bit of food will come from, or if that torn and mended over and over shirt will simple give way today and be irreparable?
Little faith.
Of course I have little faith! Why shouldn't I have little faith? My belly is aching, my kids are starving there are rags for clothes on our backs and all the faith in God will not bring a bite of food to us or magically give us new clothes. I had faith, and nothing came...I trusted and I've been left to die. Don't tell me my faith isn't enough! God knows what I need and...and...and...none of my needs are met!

Luke
{12:31} But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
{12:32} Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Seek what?

How when my children are crying for lack of food?

Seek the kingdom of God.

Will it give me food for my children?

Seek God.

The realization, however horrific, that this life we live now is temporary when it feels like it's all there is because the grief, the heartache, the pain and suffering of ourselves and our loved ones is so intense, is necessary if we want to truly call ourselves God's.

All this is temporary.

The pain is real but it is temporary even if it lasts fifty years.

The heartache is real but it is only temporary even if you live with it until you die.

The pain of existence is only temporary. For those in the worst imaginable scenarios in life, and in this day and age we can think of some pretty horrific scenarios, life here is still only temporary.

Jesus says...

John
{14:1} Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
{14:2} In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
{14:3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
{14:4} And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Thomas says...

{14:5} Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

Jesus says...

{14:6} Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man come unto the Father, but by me.
{14:7} If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Philip says...

{14:8} Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

Jesus says...

{14:9} Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
{14:10} Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
{14:11} Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
{14:12} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I
go unto my Father.
{14:13} And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
{14:14} If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
{14:15} If ye love me, keep my commandments.
{14:16} And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
{14:17} Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
{14:18} I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
{14:19} Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
{14:20} At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
{14:21} He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Judas, not Isacriot, says...

{14:22} Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

Jesus says...

{14:23} Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
{14:24} He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
{14:25} These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
{14:26} But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
{14:27} Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
{14:28} Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
{14:29} And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
{14:30} Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
{14:31} But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence


Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, NOT as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid.

NOT as the world giveth.

Once we get over wanting this life of ours to be trouble free and peaceful in a worldly way, we can truly start to live for God.

Once we realize that we have no promise for a pain-free existence. We have no promise for a life of no heartache. We have no promise that we will be clothed with fancy raiment or fed until we can feed no more. The promise we have is that if we trust in God, if we Love God, that we will be in His kingdom one day and then and only then will be never have to worry, never have to be hungry, never have to watch a loved one suffer, never feel the pain of loneliness and heartache, never be ridiculed, belittled, abused, beaten, reviled. The world we live in now is pain-filled and trying to make it so that it's not, is hopeless. The only thing we can do is trust in God to see us through the pain of living here and now, and do that through the grace and mercy of our savior Jesus Christ our Lord, God's only Son. Hope in the kingdom to come and pray that God's will be done.

John
{16:33} These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world

Jesus is the way the truth and the life...only in Jesus is there peace. Only Jesus has overcome all the pain, suffering, and heartache through His Father.

John
{14:6} Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man come unto the Father, but by me.

In life we need a path, a destination and Jesus is that path. He is the way, He is the life.

May God help us all as we each suffer in our own ways, as we go through our tribulations and there will be many in this world, to look to God, to look to Jesus, to look beyond the temporary and to the eternal.

In the name of Jesus, by His Grace and Mercy forever!

Amen.