Heartache and grief turn our worlds upside down and leave us with many unsettled questions. We want to understand why God allowed things to turn out this way. But often we’re left wrestling with our ache as we learn to trust his goodness and the restoration of all good things.
Sometimes we pray desperately for things to be different – for God to show up and protect, to heal, and to do only what he can do to bring about the outcomes we desire. We trust in his power and don’t waver in believing he is more than able to do what we’re asking. But when things don’t turn out as we had hoped, the pain and bitterness of this disappointment runs deep.
We know things could’ve been different and we’re left wondering why God allowed it to be this way. We don’t understand and things don’t make sense.
What is God up to through the pain and suffering he allows in our story?
Occasionally, we get a glimpse of the larger story he’s telling. But more often than not we’re forced to concede that we see things very dimly. And we choose to trust the sovereignty and goodness of God even when we don’t understand.
This doesn’t take away the pain. And there will likely still be many seasons of wrestling with God to help us to understand. But even in our wrestling, he is with us. He walks with us through our grief and pain and gives us the grace to trust him all the more – and the hope that he’s still working all things out for good.
This wrestling with unsettled questions keeps our heart tender and open. We’re more prone to a heart of bitterness when we demand answers and understanding on our terms.
Bring your ache and all your unsettled questions to God. He walks with you through this grief and remains faithful in restoring all good things.
Photo by Francisco Gonzalez on Unsplash
