“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
+1 Peter 1:6-7
A Letter to My Suffering Friend-Part 2
This is my second letter to a friend who is suffering from any type of trial or pain. May this breathe new life into your heart and shine a light in the darkness of your struggle. Although I can’t step into your shoes, I can lend an ear and pray for God to help you in your distress. This second letter regards using God’s “means of grace” to help you endure. In other words, use God’s blessings in your life to help you cope with your struggles.
Use Means of Grace
God has given us many blessings in our lives, or means of grace. We must use them during times of pain. For some it is family. For others it is friends or fellow church members. We can listen to soul-easing music or draw, create, and paint a masterpiece. We can write poetry, throw a football or go dance. These outlets can realign our hurting hearts and minds. God gives us these means of grace to endure the hard times when they come. Furthermore, if you are suffering from severe depression, as I did, seek help. Sometimes God uses doctors and medicine to heal our broken minds and ease the overwhelming anxiety. Sometimes it takes more than a simple prayer and Scripture verse to mend a broken body. Mental illness is no exception. You may feel ashamed of your struggle and like you will be judged and misunderstood. I still struggle with that and that is normal. Christians many times are not good at sympathizing with the hurting. “There must be sin in your life.” “Just pray and read the Bible, everything will be ok.” “Just get over it.” Have you been told these things? Me too. Ignore bad advice and lean on Jesus and his means of grace to recover. Take a breath and reach out for the help you need. I know it’s hard, but you can do it with God’s help.
Engage God in Your Pain
To summarize both letters to you: Engage God in your pain. Use it as a tool to help you grow as you turn to Him. No matter how you feel, reach out, cling to Jesus and do what you know will help you. Hope will rise when you set your sight on Christ. Just as in the Gospel story, the father ran to the prodigal son and God runs to us when we return to him in repentance and faith (see Luke 15:11-32). When we suffer God’s arms are open wide. Christ endured the greatest suffering in order to overcome sin, death and the enemy. Because Jesus rose again from the grave, we have hope to overcome all obstacles. We have his Spirit inside of us. The pain we face was overcome by Jesus. And our loving Father has provided us with all we need to recover from the dark valleys of life. If you know Jesus, God is for you and does all things to make you more like Christ. Many times that includes heart-wrenching and unexpected circumstances. Just know that God is fully in control and has planned your pain to make you more like his son Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Hang in there, hold tight and lean on Jesus’ all-sufficient grace. It’s true, as Paul recalls and Jesus says to us right now, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” [And Paul replied,] Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). Here for you. Contact me for prayer any time. Your friend,
Steve
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