Once, when I was walking on a long stretch of beach off the west coast of the Netherlands, I sensed a change in the weather. I turned into the wind and saw a massive storm front rolling in.
The storm cloud and the dramatic seascape made me think of the unlimited majesty and power of God—and how that “terrible aspect” of God can feel unsettling at times, especially when we are experiencing heavy challenges. When bad things seem to keep happening to us or those we love, it can feel like Almighty God has decided to single us out for some kind of punishment or testing. Believing this is so will make our lives feel much more difficult.
We are all created by God to be frail, finite beings, and our bodies and relationships will always be vulnerable to misfortune. No human being can escape heartbreak and hardship, and while God’s love can include rebuking us, there is no simple explanation for why some people experience more challenges than others.
I would gently but firmly suggest you try not to see heavy challenges as evidence of God’s displeasure for some unknown misdeed—if you are being rebuked by God, you will almost certainly figure out why. And stay away from wondering whether God is exacting some kind of retribution against you or your loved ones because of an offending ancestor.
Remember, Christian faith does not place God outside of our heartbreaks and hardships. Jesus showed us that God is inside everything we experience: joy, triumph, gain, fear, loss, humiliation, heartbreak and hardship. When Jesus was degraded, insulted, stripped, beaten, tortured and killed, he was showing us that God is with us in the worst things human beings can face. Hope is never outside our pain and suffering—it is always inside, with us. God’s love is never apart from us.
God loves us just as God made us: imperfect, limited beings. And when hardship comes, Jesus calls us to be faithful, to pray for strength, courage and guidance, and to trust that, somehow, all shall be well, because all things will eventually be gathered into Christ and made whole.
During inexplicably challenging times, try to think of Jesus walking with you, saying: “I know this is hard and way too much sometimes. Know that God is with you in every tear and every pain, holding you up and giving you strength. Know you are loved. Just do your best to trust in God, no matter what. Know that all shall be well.”
The unlimited majesty and power of God is beyond human understanding but is revealed to us in Jesus as indestructible love and hope. Walk gently in that knowledge when storm clouds come your way.
