“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” — 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
A recent trial brought me to my knees and completely knocked the wind out of me. The word that initially kept beating me over the head was “again.”
Again, I have to walk through hardship.
Again, I have to walk through disappointment.
Again, I have to find a way to move forward and endure.
Again, I did not receive a yes to my prayer.
Again, I have to walk the hard road.
Why, Lord?
I have a history of struggling to rejoice in suffering or trouble. I will go even further and admit that I have often felt anger and resentment toward the trials I have had to endure. This is the opposite of what I am called and commanded to do in Scripture. My pessimistic disposition makes it extremely difficult to see joy in trials or beauty in pain. How could anyone rejoice and praise God in the middle of suffering?
Finding blessings and praising God at my lowest point always felt contrary to every instinct within me. I became convinced it was impossible. Suffering was not good, and it was something to be avoided at all costs. Because trials seemed constant, I became trapped in a deadly cycle of anxiety and depression, hopelessness, and relentless worry. My glass did not simply remain half-empty; I perceived it losing more and more water the longer I sat in the mud and mire of sorrow.
“We make our troubles much greater than they need be by turning them over, considering them from all points of view, weighing them, and thinking and meditating on them. You know very well that if you swallow a pill you do not taste it — but if you get it between your teeth and bite and chew it, you will get all the bitter flavor of the drug.”1
Charles Spurgeon’s words penetrate my heart and move my soul in such a way that I cannot walk away without praising God. The Holy Spirit still moves through his poetic and melodic reflections on Scripture to speak comfort and truth more than 150 years later. Spurgeon’s steadfast faith through deep sorrow and affliction inspires me to turn my eyes upon Jesus and press on. I praise God for His grace and provision because I always seem to encounter the exact words of exhortation and encouragement I need at just the right time.
So what did Spurgeon say in this particular sermon that comforted me?
Praise God in the midst of trial, for He is the God of all comfort.
In truth, these words are not ultimately Spurgeon’s, but the Apostle Paul’s in 2 Corinthians 1. Spurgeon simply expanded beautifully upon them. But I do not want anyone to forget that this comfort comes directly from the Word of God. By God’s grace and His mighty power at work within me, I have come to believe with my whole heart that 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 is true.
Spurgeon begins his sermon, Comforted and Comforting, by reminding readers of the brutal suffering Paul endured during his ministry: beaten, imprisoned, flogged, and shipwrecked, yet still always able to say, “Blessed be God.”
Job praised God in suffering as well. Satan sought to bring Job to “curse God and die,” yet Job continued praising God even through affliction.
“Let him [the adversary] do what he pleases with me, I have made no stipulation with Him that I will only praise Him when He does according to my will. I will praise Him when He has His own way with me, even though it runs exactly contrary to mine.”2
Have you gotten to this point? Are you able to say this?
There have been times when I repeated these words only to follow them with a heavy sigh and the desperate prayer, “O, make my heart believe!”
“I give you this as one of the shortest and surest recipes for comfort—begin to praise God. The next time that a friend comes in to see you, do not tell him how long the wind has been blowing from the north, how cold the weather is for this season of the year, how your poor bones ache, how little you have coming in, and all your troubles—probably he has heard the sad story many times before. Instead of that, tell him what the Lord has done for you and make him feel that the Lord is good. Your griefs and your troubles speak for themselves, but your mercies are often dumb—so try, henceforth, to give them a tongue and praise the Lord with all your heart.”3
I can tell others about my sorrows and recent trials. Part of me wants to share them in hopes that speaking them aloud will loosen their grip on me. Yet Spurgeon encourages me instead to speak of what the Lord has done for me, how He has blessed me, and how He has comforted me so that I may become a comfort to others.
My husband, Matt, and I recently received the news that our chances of conceiving naturally are close to zero. The only option presented to us was IVF. After years of preparing my mind and body for pregnancy and years of trying to conceive, our hope dimmed, and we grieved the news.
We cried out to God. We lamented. We raised our questions.
Why this?
Why did You not answer our prayer to conceive a child naturally?
Why another difficult road to walk?
If adoption is the next step, how long will that take?
Lord, I do not have the patience for this.
Ten years ago, five years ago, even a few years ago, this news would have destroyed me. I know I would have sunk into depression and reached for the things of this world to comfort me. And like every time before, those things would not have satisfied. My sorrow would only have intensified. Self-loathing, self-harm, and anger would have increased while hope steadily decreased.
I cried.
I lamented.
I grieved.
Then I began to sing.
“Even when my strength is lost
I’ll praise You
Even when I have no song
I’ll praise You
Even when it’s hard to find the words
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise”
— Even When It Hurts (Praise Song)
“Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!”
— How Great Thou Art
I went to Scripture.
James 1:2–4
James 1:12
1 Peter 1:6–9
Hebrews 2:18
I went to the Father and praised Him for all the suffering He has allowed in my life. The stubborn pride once embedded in the words, “I don’t deserve this,” did not rise up the way it had countless times before.
Instead of hopelessness, I felt joyful hope because I remembered the promises of God.
His mercies never cease.
He is the God of all comfort.
He collects all my tears.
He is my shelter.
These light and momentary afflictions, allowed by the hand of God, are producing an eternal weight of glory.
This is not me, but Jesus Christ who lives in me. Since receiving this news, more and more praise and joy have filled my heart. I now have hope that the Lord may bless us with a child through another unexpected blessing: the journey of embryo adoption.
“When a man blesses God for the bitter, the Lord often sends him the sweet.”4
Do I know for certain that God will bless us with the child we long for? No. He is sovereign, and only He knows the outcome. But even if He does not, I trust His unfailing love, and I will praise Him for whatever sweetness He has for us. I praise Him now for drawing near to me and giving me the grace to praise Him in the midst of trial.
“O, friends, if you are afraid of being overcome, take to praising God. If you are in trouble and do not know how to bear it, divert your thoughts by praising God. Get away from the present trial by blessing and magnifying His holy name.”5
“For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.” — Psalm 66:17–20 NLT
By the grace of God, the words from the beginning of this post have transformed from frustration into praise.
Again, I get to walk through hardship.
Again, I get to walk through disappointment.
Again, I get to find a way to move forward and endure.
Again, I did not receive a yes to my prayer.
Again, I get to walk the hard road.
Why, Lord?
…So that I may praise Him even more and comfort others with the comfort I myself have received.
To God be the glory.
One response
A great message of strength and endurance. Oh. how all of us need this. Praise to God for your sharing your difficult journey with us. He will bring you joy!!