White-Knuckle or Rest?

The thought of white-knuckling my way through life and it’s inevitable challenges came rushing back to my mind yesterday.  Though today’s challenges are much different than when this devo was originally written (the aftermath of open heart surgery), the truths are the same.

Whatever you’re walking through today, I pray He uses it to encourage and strengthen you. And to rely on His strength,  not your own.

In His service,

Becky White

He leads us beside quiet waters, He restores our soul. Psalm 23:2b, 3a

He who has compassion on them, will lead them and guide them to springs of water. Isaiah 49:10b

My sheep hear my voice and another they will not follow. John 10:27

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Each morning, just before I pour coffee into my disposable paper coffee cup, I hold it up to read the note left by my husband. Every day he faithfully leaves a new note of encouragement/tender love/Bible verse. Okay – you may begin the collective awwwwwwws 😊 I know I am blessed.

Recently, the note read, “Good morning beautiful – REST in Jesus.”

Allow me to admit that my first thought was, “What do you mean? I’m resting in Jesus. Can’t you tell how at peace I am?? What are you trying to say??”

My husband could clearly see what I was oblivious to.  Rather than resting in Jesus through my present physical crisis, I was white-knuckling my way through. Later, I had a brief phone call from our oldest son, who unknowingly echoed his step-dads words. Once again, the Lord brought to mind the idea of white-knuckling rather than resting.

Feeling driven to do just a bit more rather than listening to the Lord’s still small voice calling me to rest. Rest in the midst of the emotional and physical pain. Rest in the midst of the disappointment (and dare I say, grief?) at the reality of my current challenge. Rest in the knowledge that He holds my life and my future in His hands. And what He does with the life I’ve given Him is His business.

My circumstances haven’t changed but the weight of it has shifted from my shoulders to the Lord’s as I purposefully cast the whole of my care and anxiety onto Him. I am purposefully listening for His voice to lead me and refusing to allow my thoughts to drive me.

Though a personal antidote, I pray the Lord will speak to you through my (embarrassing) honesty. Is there an area of your life that you’re white-knuckling your way through rather than resting in the One who died for you? Rather than allowing Him to lead you beside still waters, are you allowing your thoughts to drive you to emotional/mental/physical exhaustion? It could be a marriage (or lack of one) or a job situation or loneliness or a health crisis or children “in the far country.” Whatever the challenge, it’s His cue to take His yoke and drop our self-made yoke of oppression.

There comes a crisis hour to each of us – when we face either ruin or something higher than we ever dreamed. God knows how to lead us up to this crisis and He knows how to lead us through.

Streams in the Desert 08/20

Father God, Enable us to rest in You. To allow Your Holy Spirit to have His way…As we release the death-grip of our own efforts that drive us to exhaustion. Thank You for your patience Father. You are so good! We love You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

The Chaos of Life

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel has said this, “In returning [to Me] and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and confident trust is your strength.” But you were not willing.

Be still before the LORD; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret.

Isaiah 30:15 AMP      Psalm 37:7a   AMP

We live in a world of chaos. Chaos of mind and sounds and images all around us screaming for our attention. At the tip of our fingers we’re made aware of devastating earthquakes in Thailand or political and cultural unrest seething across the globe. Not to mention the unrest that is often in our families and our own hearts. Add to this constant stream of information, the busyness of everyday life challenges, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by it all.

Today’s Scripture from Isaiah is brimming with deep truths, but I’d like to pull just one thread to help us with this information/trial overload. In returning to the Lord we will find rest, in quiet confident-trust in Him, we will find strength.

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “Wait a minute, I didn’t leave the Lord, why do I have to return?” But have we “left” Him by trying to do life in our own strength? Have we “left” Him by relying on our own wisdom? Have we “left” Him by seeking Oprah-esc advice rather than listening to the Holy Spirit? Return. To Him. And find authentic, soul-deep rest, in spite of the chaos.

“In quietness and confident trust (In the LORD God) is our strength.” Here’s where I fall down more often than I like to admit. My life and thoughts can be so noisy. And busy. Busy serving, busy with family, busy working or keeping up with current events … just busy. Before long, my thoughts and heart are anything but quiet. As the noise level rises, so does my lack of peace and felt strength. It’s the Holy One, the Lord God Himself who has promised that in quietness and trust in Him we find our strength…. So we must purposefully stop, regroup, catch our mental breath, and then be quiet in His presence. Resting in His sovereign care over our life and all the chaos that surrounds us.

No, this isn’t a magic formula to dispel the raw challenges of real life, but rather, His formula for facing each of them in His strength and with His peace. Strength and Peace in the midst of chaos, from God Himself.

God uses trouble to teach His children precious lessons.

Stream in the Desert

Father God, I choose to be quiet in Your presence and entrust my life into Your hands. Scary, yes, but You are entirely trustworthy. Leaving the chaos and noise behind me, regardless of my circumstances, I rest in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones Over Water With Sky by Peter Cade

As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good to bring about this present result.

Genesis 50:20 NASB

As the story of Joseph’s life unfolds, we find a young man excited about the future God has for him. From the dreams given, and readily shared with his family, we can see God has a super-sized future in mind for him! But his big brothers weren’t so impressed with their kid brother and his dreams of valor. When their contempt began brimming over for this “little dreamer” as they called him, they hatched a plot to take his life. In the end, rather than kill him, they sold him to traveling merchants. Selling him into a life of slavery.

So much for a God-ordained, super-sized future. So much for dreams of God’s call on his life. He must have misunderstood. He must have heard God all wrong.

Not quite. God often uses the unlikely, the ordinary and the downright painful to bring about His purposes for our lives. Trace out the path God providentially wove – Joseph would have never become prime minister of Egypt if he had not been sold into slavery.

Read the entire story. (See Genesis 37-50) See how again and again, the pain filled and profoundly unfair events in Joseph’s life are nothing less than stepping-stones masterfully placed by God to fulfill one man’s destiny. To place him exactly where he’s needed, when he’s needed. Joseph understands this truth as he boldly declares on four occasions, “God sent me here. He sent me ahead of you.” God is in charge. Period. Pain and all.

Create my destiny and then guide me into it for Your name’s sake and for Your pleasure. I trust You to create my life’s story and to give me all I need to fully live out the path You have planned for me. 

Tony Evans

Beloved, who are the “older brothers” in your life? Have you been “sold into slavery” of some kind? Has something or someone caused you to believe that God’s promises are for everyone else but you? As if you, and your circumstances, are the one exception? Listen to me dear one, “they” may have meant it for evil but God meant it for good, to bring about His call on your life. Your pain may very well be God’s stepping-stones for the destiny He has planned.

Father, Grant us a stepping-stone mentality on the trials that swirl around us. It’s so easy to feel like we’re the one exception to all You’ve promised. We choose to take one step at a time into the future You have planned for us, knowing that You hold our right hand. Thank You for your great faithfulness!

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Written by Becky White for my Lord Jesus

Dealt Cards

I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord, I said You are my God, my times are in Your hands.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy and the God of all comfort,  Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.

Psalm 31:14b-15a & 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMPC

 “That’s just the hand I was dealt” says the person that endured a crummy childhood or was born into poverty or family disfunction. Or when life throws a few curve balls such as a spouse walking out or a child rebelling or coping with the pain of infertility or dealing with a prolonged illness. That’s when we would love the chance to say, “Re-deal”, I have a crappy hand!”

Recently, over lunch with a friend, we talked about some of our own “dealt cards” such as childhood trauma, relationship betrayal, death of children, life-threatening illnesses, financial difficulties and some cards that are too sensitive to bring out into the light. On the drive home, after our lunch discussion of dealt cards, I mentally opened my hand, fanning out my life’s cards. I was stunned at the Lord’s perfect wisdom and providence in His dealings (no pun intended) with me. Though I would have passed on several of the cards or traded if I had been given a choice, I clearly see that each has its purpose. Through “the hand I was dealt”, The Lord has provided me a platform authenticated by suffering – to minister to others in a way that would have been impossible without those cards of difficulty.

You see, I can pull out my card of betrayal and share authentically with someone going through divorce or desertion. I can pull out my card of grief at having buried two children as I listen (and hug) the one burying a spouse or child. I can pull from the deck my card of illness after walking through a near-death sudden illness, as I listen to their fears or “what ifs.” The Lord has graciously given me the opportunity to say with authenticity, “I’ve been there, I know what that feels like… and He has faithfully walked me through it… come, let me show you.”

If we are to be good comforters, we must first need comforted.

Anonymous

Alright dear one, what cards have you been dealt? Fan out your hand, look clearly at the cards you’re holding and ask yourself…How can I leverage this “card” for His glory and another’s good?

Precious Lord, God of all comfort – thank You for showing Yourself strong on my behalf as You simultaneously comfort me and enable me to comfort others with the comfort I’ve received from You. I stand amazed at Your faithfulness and goodness toward me! In Jesus’ name, Amen

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

Brevity of Life

Please forgive the rerun… this devo was written 4 years ago and is just as hit-me-between-the-eyes as it was that February afternoon. I pray that as it reminds me, it reminds you as well. Life is short. We all have a shelf-life known only to our Maker.

His great blessing on you this day!

Becky White

All my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16b Berean Study Bible

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Luke 12:25 Berean Study Bible

“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5  NLT

The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. Psalm 126:3 NKJV

Three years ago today, I almost died. Almost. Coronary artery disease. Widow maker. Near total blockage. Emergency open-heart surgery. Phrases that were foreign to me, are now an everyday part of my vocabulary. On that day, in that moment, the only thing that mattered was my relationship with Jesus Christ. With that as my focus, God enabled my husband and me to walk through the near panic and what if’s, immersed in His peace. Not a peace based on an assured outcome (there was not), but His peace based on His goodness and utter faithfulness, whatever the outcome.

Through that experience, I was reminded of the obvious – eating (fairly) healthy and exercising several times a week does not carry any guarantees. In the end, the stats don’t lie, ten out of ten people die. I was no exception. And neither are you….

In an era of the twin global pandemics of fear and viruses, some of us have behaved as if we could add an hour to our life with a few Clorox wipes. We cannot. God’s Word assures us that the days ordained for us have been established before even one began. The enemy cannot steal our life away. God has the final say. What we can do is make certain of our eternal destination (1 John 5:13), then live every moment for the glory of God (Isaiah 43:7). And in the end, rest in His faithful goodness. Whatever the outcome.

The goal of our life is not to arrive safely at death. Yes, we should do our best to stay healthy so we can serve our Lord by serving those He places in our path, but our goal isn’t simply old age. Our aim is to honor the One who willingly paid the payment for our sin, every day He grants us. Leave no change on the table. Serve Him with gusto. Our Lord mingled with lepers, I think we can attend church in person or volunteer to feed the hungry. In the end, He holds our lives in His hands, and the lives of those we love. Our days are but a breath or a puff of hairspray (in my case).

The goal of life is not to arrive safely at death.

Billy Graham has said that the one thing that surprised him about life is its brevity. So today, as I give thanks to my Lord and reflect on the year that’s gone by … as I reflect on the fragileness and brevity of life, I am moved to remind you as well. Live life to the full. If fear and anxiety have become an unwelcome guest these past few years, push it back by inviting the Holy Spirit to have His way with you.

Father God, I am so thankful for the gift of life, for the gift of eternal life and for the gift of another year to serve You. I love You so and am so very thankful for Your goodness toward me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

Please check out Stony Paths, the devo borne out of the difficulties He’s faithfully walked me through. He’ll do the same for you, dear one.

Hiding Behind the Baggage

Jesus said to him (a blind man), “What do you want me to do for you?” Mark 10:51a ESV

One man there (at the pool of Bethesda) had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.” John 5:5-7 ESV

So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 1 Samuel 10:22 NLT

Have you ever been so comfortable that you just didn’t want to move? Though the ankle-deep lawn or the pile of unwashed laundry was calling your name, you just couldn’t bring yourself to budge. Too comfortable.  On the flip side, sometimes our desire not to budge, isn’t created by something good like a comfy chair, but from something known, even if painful or bad. “I may not like this, it may be hurtful, but at least I know what to expect. “It’s what I know,” is the mantra of comfort-zone thinking.

I have been there. Wasting decades hiding behind the baggage of my past, with its built-in excuses – past hurts, past mistakes, past trials. It wasn’t good, but it’s what I knew. It felt “comfortable.”  Maybe you’ve been there too.

In today’s passages we read of folks, just like you and me, hiding behind the baggage of their lives in the prison cell of comfort-zone thinking and living. To pull the cover off their hiding place, the Lord probes with some seemingly strange questions. Asking a man born blind, “What do you want Me to do for you?” or a man who has been paralyzed for 38 long years, “Do you want to be made well?” It’s here where I am tempted to think the Lord isn’t being very perceptive, but of course, that is never the case. He knows that a life-time of learning to live and think a certain way, of relating to the world around them as “less-than,” would need to be tackled. Jesus knew that even when it’s a bad situation, familiarity can be strangely “comfortable.” When confronted with the seemingly silly question, rather than jump at the chance for healing, the paralytic offered explanations as to why he couldn’t be healed. Perhaps he just couldn’t live with another disappointment or perhaps he had taken healing off his list of life’s possibilities. Whatever the reason, Jesus put His divine finger on the heart of the issue.

Pain and trials are almost constant companions, but never enemies. They drive me into His sovereign arms.

Kay Arthur

Would you stop a moment and think honestly and deeply? Are there areas of your life that need healing or that you know are baggage you’ve learned to hide behind?  While I have no idea what baggage life may have handed you, what you willingly picked up along the way, or what “lessons” you may need to unlearn, He does. And He asks the same question, “Do you want to be healed?” If you’re like me, you’ll have to resist the urge to “explain” rather than simply answer Him. “Yes, Lord! I’m ready, heal me.”

Let’s pray,

Oh Father, Yes, I want healed! Please enable me to live baggage free, no hiding, no excuses. Healed and whole by Your grace and by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ matchless name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus.

Click here to purchase a hard copy or get a FREE pdf of the devotional, Stony Paths

You may also purchase Stony Paths, learning to Trust Him as we walk the Stony Paths of real life, by visiting Lulu Publishing or Amazon.

I’m Fine, Really, I’m Fine

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.    Psalm 56:3 Legacy Standard Bible

The LORD sat as King at the flood; Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.    Psalm 29:10 NASB 1995

Whatever the reason, pain confronts us all in one form or another. Like a gut punch that leaves us gasping for air, there are some life trials that nearly take our breath away.  Some from the instant shock and awe of searing pain, others steal our breath away from their sheer duration and scope.

Recently, while walking through a trial (Not sitting still, but walking through, an important point for another devo) I noticed that though my trust in the Lord hadn’t waivered, the ache in my heart remained. After talking to the Lord about the emotional heaviness and ache, I turned to my go-to place in His Word – The book of Psalms. There I read Psalm after Psalm of King David describing the ache of the human heart. Words that echoed the pain of my own heart. But this time I noticed (or re-noticed?) that he spoke of fear and emotional pain mingled with the fact that he trusted in God. I had accidently assumed that if I “really” trusted God with my heartache or trial, that my feelings would follow. Silly me.

In a world that is more comfortable with plastic smiles and “I’m fine” salutations, this fact is so freeing. Especially to those walking through a season of pain. It’s okay to “feel” the pain of real- life trials and share the honest, “I’m not fine” answer to the question of, “How are you today?”  Maybe you’ve felt the pressure to suck it up and put on a plastic smile, rather than admit that right now life is painful or maybe a season of trial has caught you off guard. I pray God’s Word frees you as it freed me.

And if we’re the one asking the question of how are you… Let’s give room for honest answers coupled with a listening ear.

When I am afraid, I will trust in Him.

One last point, He sits as King over the flood of our life’s circumstances. Not me. Not you. God Himself sits as King over whatever has flooded into our lives. Even as we ache and acknowledge the pain, we will trust that He’s got this. Whatever the outcome.

The Psalms wrap nouns and verbs around our pain better than any other book. ― Joni Eareckson Tada

Father God, I am so grateful for Your grace to walk through our life’s trials. As the ache of our hearts reacts to the raw reality of pain, enable Your people to rest in Your sovereign care. We love You. In Jesus’ name Amen

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

A Testimony of “Through”

Following You is no guarantee of a problem-free life.  Yes, I realize that’s an obvious point. But a point that I need reminded of, now and then. What you have promised is that You’ll stand beside me, that you’ll never leave me … never forsake me. And use all I walk through for Your glory.

This morning, as I was working out at the gym and listening to a Spotify playlist, some of the challenges that may soon cross my path flooded my mind. Immediately an old song I’d never heard before started to play… The words, you will stand by me… penetrated my heart as it described the inevitable challenges of life. Through all the seasons of life. Rightly concluding, we can rest in Him and His Presence with us. We are never alone.

Thank You, Father for standing with us and never leaving us to face life alone.

Now, let’s read this rerun devo “A Testimony of through.”

*(Stand by Me)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5  ESV

It is so encouraging to hear testimonies of God’s miraculous intervention into someone’s life circumstance. In fact, to encourage others, I have a few of my own that I regularly share. Maybe you do too. But there’s another kind of testimony that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, those of God’s miraculous power to walk us through our trials. Let’s face it, aren’t those the kind of testimonies that most of us can relate to, and need to hear?

But this kind of story doesn’t come easy, it can only be gained by walking through the fire. Not around or over, but through. While there are many reasons God may allow His people to suffer, one of them includes enabling us to be living examples to other hurting folks. A picture of what it looks like when God chooses not to remove our difficulties, but of His power to sustain and even strengthen us in the midst of them.

There are hurting people all around us, with no hope of a miracle around the corner of their circumstances. The cancer is terminal. The divorce papers have been signed. The nursery remains empty. The pink slip has arrived. It’s then, that folks need to see authentic hope displayed in how we suffer. As we cry the same hot tears, enduring the same heartaches and pain, but with an assurance that no matter what things look like, He is good, He can be trusted and He is faithful. Yes, we grapple with questions and cry out in our pain, but in the end, we rest our head on the pillow of His sovereignty and goodness. Reminding ourselves that if He loved us so much that He did not spare His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us all, surely, we can trust Him with “this.”

Be assured, that whatever test you’re walking through today, He can, and will, use it as a testimony to a watching world. Whether that testimony is of His miraculous intervention or of His sustaining power – be assured that He will use every second of it, and every detail of it, for your good and His glory. Author, Kay Arthur puts it best, “He lets you hurt as others hurt, knowing that the way in which you handle it will be a testimony, and your response will show others that there’s something awesomely different about you.” And that difference, is our relationship with Jesus Christ. In all we face, He is the difference maker.

The strength of the vessel can be demonstrated only by the hurricane, and the power of the Gospel can be fully shown only when the Christian is subjected to some fiery trial. If God would make manifest the fact that “He giveth songs in the night,” He must first make it night.

—William Taylor

Father, Please use all we walk through, and all that touches our lives, for Your glory and as a display of Your faithfulness to those around us. Infuse us with Your strength and grant us Your perspective. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus and His glory

Click here to purchase a hard copy or get a FREE pdf of the devotional, Stony Paths

You may also purchase Stony Paths, learning to Trust Him as we walk the Stony Paths of real life, by visiting Lulu Publishing or Amazon.

When, not if …

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:2 NKJV

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31 NKJV

You’ll never find God or His Word sugar-coating reality; telling us plainly … “When the waters rise and when the flames come …” When, not if. And if you’ve been alive longer than 20 minutes, you know the truth of that “promise.” Adversity. Flood waters. Flames. Trials are woven into the fabric of real life. No one is exempt. Yet, He doesn’t leave us there …

Layered in that raw reality is also the promise that, when the trials come, He will be with us. Though He is the omnipresent God, there is a unique coming-alongside that we experience when trials attempt to overwhelm us, when they graze our lives. As Nazi concentration camp survivor, Corrie Ten Boom put it, “He doesn’t give us the train ticket until we board the train.”

When trials touch our lives, He is uniquely there in a way that sunny days and overflowing bank accounts do not require.

Even when the trial is of our own making. Take a closer look at Peter in the above verse. He took his eyes off of Jesus and instead, zeroed in on the literal wind and waves, and began to sink like a rock. The Word says that, “Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” No hesitation. No withholding. Immediately. Yes, a lecture followed, but His Presence was not withheld, when Peter so desperately needed it.

I can testify from my own life, that while He has allowed (and I have sometimes caused) great challenges in my life, He has also never failed to lavish me with His Presence in them. A Presence I uniquely felt during the deepest, darkest trials. And He will do the same for you dear one, when you walk through your day of trial … He is with you.

When trials touch our lives, He is uniquely there in a way that sunny days and overflowing bank accounts do not require.

Becky White

Father, we are so thankful for Your presence when life hits us square between the eyes. When life just plain hurts, You are with us. Please enable us to rest in that simple truth. We are not alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

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Poke the Pain

“Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.”  Hosea 6:1 ESV

For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal. Job 5:18 BSB

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:3 NLT

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result. The saving of many lives.  Genesis 50:20 NASB

Seated at a rectangular plastic table adorned with a sugar jar and plenty of creamer, I begin probing.  “So …  tell me, what’s your story?” This purposefully penetrating and open-ended question is one I usually ask in the course of urban ministry. Many of the folks seated across from me, have no home, no bed, no anything.  And often, feel without hope. As other volunteers serve breakfast with all the “fixins”, along with a bottomless cup of hot coffee, I listen intently. My goal is to gently poke until I find the pain. Some share decades-old hurt or regret. Others, eye me suspiciously for possible motives, as they lift their fork for another bite of a dripping-with-syrup waffle. It’s then that I begin sharing a few of my own pain stories as well. I have come to understand that no matter the socioeconomic background, regardless of ethnicity or educational level, pain is our commonality. Some more than others, that’s true, but always, something.

Why do I ask this? Because I know that pain can either be used as a weapon in the hands of the enemy, or a tool in the hands of our Almighty, and sovereign God. As the Old Testament account of Joseph puts it, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” The words didn’t ignore his years-long pain of unjust imprisonment or suffering, but it did put it in perspective. Yea, You meant to jack-up my life.  But hold on. God meant for that pain to bring about something good in my life. And very often, the enemy has used their pain to convince them of God’s “neglect” or even lack of existence.

Pain can either be used as a weapon in the hands of the enemy, or a tool in the sovereign hands of Almighty God.

Becky White

How about you? What’s your story? Is your pain point one of deep regret or childhood trauma? Is it dashed expectations that linger in your heart or widowhood or illness or a prison cell? Is your pain caused by watching the ache of someone you love? Pain is always a pivot point. Do we allow it to drive us to our knees and to greater dependence on the Lord, or allow the hurt to push us away? Away, in anger or depression or bitter unforgiveness?

As I share with the folks at The Bridge Ministry or The Columbus Dream Center, I freely admit that I don’t have answers to all the questions of “why.” But this I know, If God willingly gave the life of His Son for us, surely we can trust Him with what we do not understand. Trust Him with our pain.

The question we all must answer is, will we let our pain draw us to Him or repel us from Him?

In whose hands is your pain?

Father God, Yes, there are times when my heart is pained and raw from the realities of life. But I choose to trust You with all that comes my way. For my good and Your glory. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus