The Ache That Won't Go Away
The wrist throbs with every keystroke. The doctor's words echo: "We need to run more tests." The surgery date looms ahead like a mountain that seems impossible to climb. And somewhere in the middle of managing pain, fear, and uncertainty, the question arises - Where is God in this?
If health struggles are weighing heavy right now, something important needs to be said: the pain is real. The fear is valid. And it's okay that this doesn't feel good - because pain is painful. When health becomes a struggle, there's every right to feel frustrated, scared, or even angry.
When Everything Falls Apart
Job knew this feeling. In one devastating day, he lost everything - his children, his wealth, his livelihood. But then his body began to fail too. Painful sores covered him from head to toe. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He sat in ashes, scraping his skin with broken pottery, and cried out, "Why did I not perish at birth?" (Job 3:11)
Job didn't pretend to be okay. He didn't paste on a smile and say, "God's got this!" He was brutally honest about his agony. He questioned God directly. He demanded answers. And you know what? God didn't strike him down for it. God can handle honest questions.
The God Who Doesn't Always Heal
The hard truth: God didn't immediately heal Job. He didn't wave His hand and make the sores disappear. Job suffered for months, maybe years. His friends offered terrible advice. His wife told him to curse God and die. And through it all, Job wrestled with a God who seemed silent.
But Job discovered something profound in his darkest hour: God's goodness isn't dependent on circumstances. Even when Job couldn't see God's plan, even when healing didn't come on his timeline, even when nothing made sense - God was still God. Still good. Still present.
"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." (Job 13:15)
Permission to Not Be Okay
For anyone facing surgery, chronic pain, a scary diagnosis, or watching a loved one suffer - there's no requirement to be strong all the time. Perfect faith isn't expected. God can be told exactly how it feels, even if it's messy and raw and full of questions.
God's goodness doesn't mean He'll always change the story the way it's hoped for. But it does mean He's present in the hospital room, in the sleepless nights, in the moments when breathing through the fear feels impossible. His love isn't conditional on healing - it's constant, regardless of the outcome.
A Prayer for Hard Days
God, this hurts. The reason why bodies fail, why healing feels so far away, why prayers haven't been answered as hoped - it's hard to understand. Fear is real, exhaustion is overwhelming, and some days it's unclear how to keep going.
But even in this pain, the choice remains to believe You are still good. Even when Your plan can't be seen, there's trust that You see the suffering, You know the struggle, and You haven't abandoned anyone walking this path. Help hope remain, even when hope feels impossible.
Be strength when none is left. Be peace when anxiety overwhelms. Be comfort when pain feels too much to bear. Your ways may not be understood, but Your heart is known - and Your heart is for us, not against us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
In the hardest moments, when hope feels fragile and faith feels small, remember this promise - it's not dependent on your circumstances, but on His character:
"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." - Nahum 1:7
