December: Trials and Pain
The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for
God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of
preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can
bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.
The Root of the Righteous, 157.
December 3
Trials and Pain: He Knows
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
--Hebrews 4:15-16
Don't pity yourself. Don't be afraid to tell God your troubles. He
knows all about your troubles. There is a little song that says,
"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen," but there's Somebody who
knows, all right. And our Fellow Sufferer still retains a fellow
feeling for our pains and still remembers in the skies His tears,
His agonies and cries, though he's now at the right hand of the
Father Almighty, sitting crowned in glory, awaiting, of course,
that great coronation day that yet is to come. But though He is
there and though they cry all around Him, "Worthy is the Lamb"
(Revelation 5:12), He hasn't forgotten us, and He hasn't forgotten
the nails in His hands, the tears, the agonies and cries.
He knows everything about you. He knows! He knows when the doctor
hates to tell you what's wrong with you and your friends come and
try to be unnaturally encouraging. He knows!
With boldness, therefore, at the throne
Let us make all our sorrows known
And ask the aid of heavenly power
To help us in the evil hour.
The Attributes of God, pp. 94-95
"Thank You, Lord, for this encouragement. It's so hard to suffer
alone, and in ministry it often seems we have no one with whom we
can openly share. Thank You that You know and understand. Amen."