My whole life has seemed to be one long season of suffering, with a few sprinkles of joy mixed in. It’s like the one cupcake that was last to be decorated, and you only have a few sprinkles left to put on it. The moments are there, but they are thinly spread out.

Everywhere I look, it seems that a lot of people are struggling in a season of suffering now days. Everyone talks about how hard life is. Everything is a struggle. Why is that? Why now?

We know that God is in control of everything including our suffering. There are so many bible verses that instruct us to hold tight to Jesus, to rely on his strength, compassion and love. I believe that the suffering is increasing by God’s design. To encourage his believers & non-believers to turn to him and place those burdens, hurts, and emptiness on his shoulders. To form and grow a relationship with him, to need him, to rely on him, and ultimately hand it all over to him and experience spiritual healing. This healing will allow him to replace the suffering with his light & love so he can occupy those areas within us. Once we hand the suffering over to him, it becomes something sweet and no longer seems overwhelming or unmanageable.

I have experienced this type of spiritual healing, healing by the hand of Jesus. One of the instances of sexual abuse from my childhood, that lasted a few years; has been one of the primary events or “pain points” in my life that has constantly run in my mind like an old movie. Through the grace and love of Jesus, I was able to work through the trauma by taking each instance to him and asking him to heal me of these memories. To free me from the pain and anxiety they have caused. He was so loving; he comforted me and healed me from these memories. I have been able to forgive the offenders in my heart, and I am no longer plagued with these memories. Before, I would never have been able to mention this, and it is only through the love of Jesus that I am able to talk about it. The freedom I have felt since he healed me is immeasurable. It has strengthened my relationship with him, and it has allowed my trust of Jesus to grow.

This season of suffering lasted most of my lifetime, but I have been able to see the purpose of this suffering. It has allowed me to see Jesus in a different light; it is directly responsible for my ability to trust in him, for the relationship I now have with him. Jesus has always been with me, just waiting for me to trust in and rely on him. I was able to process and work through this pain point because I listened when Jesus called me to follow him. I slowed down, which allowed him to start to work on these pain points.

God is waiting to fight for us, we just need to stop being so preoccupied with doing, with going 24/7, with being so self-sufficient and allow him to take care of us. We cannot hear him if we are always going.

We just need to be still.

This is sound advice; it is the same advice that was given to the Israelites by Moses when they fled Egypt before crossing the Red Sea.

Moses answered the people. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (NIV Exod. 14: 13-14)

It is a daily struggle to stay still and not get so busy and wrapped up in my daily life that I am not able to see Jesus working in my life or to hear him. At the top of my to-do list every day; is to be still, and the results have been amazing.

What can you do to be a little more still in your life?