Can God be Trusted? (Why God Allows Pain)

This devotional is part of a DIY water fountain tutorial you can see here: Easy DIY Solar Fountain

I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, but there are times when I still have a hard time trusting God.

But why?  He’s omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He’s demonstrated time and time again that He is for me and not against me (Romans 8:31). 

But why did I still struggle with trusting Him?  I came to realize that for me the answer was “pain.”  I was afraid of having to endure emotional or physical pain.

Six months ago, a routine scan revealed a 6cm breast mass.  As the daughter of a cancer survivor, I know all too much about the sizes of tumors and what they mean in turns of treatment plans and survival rates. 

For several weeks, I waited for the biopsy, knowing that there was a decent chance that I could have advanced breast cancer.  That was emotionally painful, but during the two-hour MRI-guided biopsy, I also experienced physical pain.

Fortunately, the mass was not cancerous. But it caused me to question why God allows us to experience pain and suffering.

But God faithfully encouraged me with an example from my rose garden.  A few years ago, I got into the hobby of growing roses and stopped counting when I got to about 70 plants. 

But my least favorite part of rose gardening is when I have to move a plant from one location to another. Roses have different lighting and environmental needs, and you’ll inevitably one day have to move one, roots and all, to an area where it can thrive and get what it needs.   For example, if a rose gets continuously scorched leaves from all-day Texas sun, that’s a good reason to move it to a flower bed with only cooler morning sun.

When it’s time to move a rose, I always feel anxious, to the point that my neck and shoulders tighten.

I absolutely dread transplanting them because I know that there is a huge likelihood I’m going to cause that rose some pain.  Inevitably, I’m going to cut some roots with my shovel and even if I don’t, the shock of moving them can cause a lot of stress until they adapt to their new location. 

But in reality, the change of location was much-needed, and I probably experienced more pain than the rose ever did in the process. 

God feels the same about His children’s pain.  When you go through pain and suffering, God experiences pain right alongside you. As deeply loved children, He grieves having to allow us any amount of discomfort. Therefore, we never experience pain alone.

As much as God doesn’t want us to experience pain, He also loves us too much to leave us in a situation that is less than His best for us.  While it’s true that pain is often involved in transformation, He will never bring us through pain that is not worthwhile.  He wants us to be in a place where we can thrive and truly experience His greatest blessings.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Are you in a season of suffering right now?  Do you feel dislodged from your comfort zone?  Know that He does not take your pain lightly and is right beside you.  He loves you more than you can fathom and won’t allow you to undergo a second more of suffering than what is worthwhile.

He doesn’t want you to just survive but He wants you to thrive an experience the fullness of His blessings where you can bloom most for His glory.

As C.S. Lewis writes: “God’s love—as it is true and deep love—is not content to leave us as we are. He loves us as we are, but love never wants to leave the person as they are. He desires our holiness, for our happiness and his honor.”.

Two days ago, I went back to M.D. Anderson for my 6-month follow up scan and everything is still fine. But even if the scans showed something new, our God is not only good, but He is the source of all good, and therefore, we can trust Him implicitly.

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