Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like God was punishing you? Have you thought, “What is the point of being good if bad things will happen anyway?” I imagine we all have felt like that a time or two in our lives. I have learned in my life that things happen. What is really important is what we choose to believe and where we place our faith.
I have experienced a lot of crazy, and not-so-great things in my life. There were a few times in my life when I thought…..is this God punishing me for something I did? Most times I think that way when I am at a point of complete exhaustion. When whatever I am going through has depleted all the energy I have. It is in those times that I start questioning God’s motives.
When I have reached that point, I call on my closest friends to share my burden and express my feelings. These are friends who know that I have a strong faith and that when it wavers, I need to be reminded how big God is and how much he loves me.
They remind me that our God, the maker of all the universe, has always been faithful to me. He has always been with me in the storms. He has always used every single thing I have gone through for his glory. Did he cause the pain and suffering? Most often for me, the pain and suffering were a result of poor choices made by me. The pain and suffering could ultimately be the very thing that saved my life. For example, when I cried out to God to stop me and change my life, he heard my cry, and law enforcement arrested me. Jail was my pain and suffering. The guilt and shame was mine to work out with Him. He set me on a course correction. I repented and life got better.
But what about those times when I haven’t committed a crime and I still have to endure some kind of pain and suffering? Well, I know this….God carried me through those dark times before, and he will do it again. He sees a bigger picture and I can’t see what he can see. I trust him and will keep my faith in Him. Every time he carries me through, it brings me back to Him, closer and in a deeper relationship and deeper faith.
Questions for reflection:
- When was a time that you thought God was punishing you? How did you handle that?
- In the dark times of your life, do you feel God’s presence or do you feel abandoned by him?
- What did it feel like when you got to the other side of a rough time and looked back on it? Did you see God was there the whole time or do you still struggle to understand why you had to go through it? Did any good come out of that time in your life?
“God is mighty, but despises no one: he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.” Job 36:5