“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

LEARN

Recently I have been sick and tired. No, not the sick and tired of life and its difficulties, although I admit I always struggle with that, but literally and physically sick and tired. Since the start of the year I have being dealing with a wide range of on and off ailments that keep getting worse, and the confusion keeps getting greater. I share this story because I know I am not the only one struggling in some way and feeling confused, overwhelmed, and frankly tired of pain and suffering. Seasons of sickness are not comfortable, and restlessness tends to creep in when we feel trapped due to our limitations. I personally don’t do well with slowing down and resting when my body is telling me to, and perhaps you can relate?

As I have forced myself to slow down and reflect for a moment on something other than my suffering, I’ve realized all I have been wanting during this season is to figure out what is wrong so I can make it right. It is as if I see this time in my life as a hiccup, and until it can be fixed, my life won’t be as complete as it could be. I’ve been praying that God will heal me and give me information as to what is going on, but I also have been worrying and pitying myself. Why God do I have to go through this? What if a diagnosis never comes, and it is not in your plan for me to be healed? What then? It is in these moments I feel the race is far too difficult and the journey is far too long and I don’t like the path I see set before me.

Does this sound like your story? Are you also struggling to trust God and perhaps feeling sorry for yourself?

The best thing to do when we are here is to realize that God is not void and we are not God. Even when suffering and love seem contradictory to us, God is greater than our ability to comprehend the why’s of life. So for a moment, let’s pause the research, put our stress to the side, and remember Christ. His words of life are present, right now, waiting for us to read. He is in control, He is suffering with us, and He loves us. Instead of focusing so much on WHY we are suffering and how to fix it, we can be using this time instead to trust God and ask Him WHAT NOW should we be doing in the midst of our suffering?

What now are you teaching me, Lord?

What now can I do to find rest in you?

What now do you want me to do in the midst of my pain?

What now allows us to seek His guidance and not our own. It redirects our focus from one of entitlement to one of dependence on Him and it gives us joy because no matter where we are in life our purpose will always be the same- to love God and others and magnify His glory. God is ready for us to come to Him to find rest in our restlessness, stop asking why, and start asking him WHAT NOW?

KNOW

What are the WHY’s you have been dealing with? Write them on a piece of paper, and then pray for forgiveness and a greater ability to trust God with your WHY’s as you reread Isaiah 40:28-31.
Write down the WHAT NOW questions you want to work on asking God when you are going through times of doubt, pain and suffering.

DO

Suffering is draining on our body, mind and spirit. During this season especially, notice the times you may need to rest more than normal and adjust your routine as you see fit.

Turn to God.
Don’t push yourself.
Get good sleep, if you can.
Tell people no.
Eat whole and balanced meals.
Allow others to help you.
Pray.

These are all things we know, yet usually they are the things we fight the most when we are in denial about our limitations.