A Testimony: God’s Present Help During Pain and Suffering

Has anyone ever advised, “God won’t give you more than you can bear,” to encourage you when you are going through difficulties? You may wonder if it’s true because you feel as though you can’t endure your painful circumstances much longer. But the Bible does not say that God won’t give us more than we can bear. What does Scripture tell us? After the apostle Paul was burdened beyond his strength to endure, he wrote,  

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8 ESV)

“Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

Have you ever been burdened beyond your ability to endure? Have you ever been in so much pain that you wondered how you would ever live through it? Me, too.

At some point in our lives, we will experience more burdens, sorrow, or suffering than we can bear alone. The Bible says that these things happen so we might not rely on ourselves but on God. He is our strength and very present help in times of trouble.

Are you enduring unbearable circumstances today? Sometimes it helps to read stories of those who have also been there and made it through. My friend, author Jane Daly, shares her testimony about God’s present help during an unbearable season of pain and suffering.

But God by Jane Daly

Pain. Burning, stabbing, unrelenting.

Sleep brought temporary relief, until it was time to change positions. The agony of moving my frozen joints brought fresh waves of pain. Imagine trying to wrest open a door with rusty hinges.

I felt myself spiraling down into depression. In the middle of the dark nights when I lay awake, I begged God to relieve my anguish. When He didn’t, I began to question my faith.

Was I really saved?

If so, had God forgotten me?

Why was this happening?

I have read that pain is your body telling you something is wrong. My body was screaming at me, but I didn’t have time to listen. My days were spent driving my son to and from chemo and radiation for cancer. When home, I was mom to my daughter and supporter to my husband and his fledgling insurance business. Bills piled up, collectors called, and insurance refused to pay for my son’s treatment.

Depression hung over me like a black cloud. In my heaviest moments, I simply wanted to disappear.

BUT GOD. I love those words. Scripture is filled with BUT GOD moments. We were dead in our sin, but God loved us even then. Enemies surrounded David, but God delivered him.

Consider the story of Elijah. He did miraculous things by the power of God. When King Ahab told the evil Jezebel everything Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets of Baal, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

Elijah got scared. He ran for his life into the wilderness, sat down under a broom brush, and prayed to die! Here’s what he said: “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve also been where Elijah was. And where I was. Lord, take my life for it is too much to bear.*

But God.

The Lord sent an angel to Elijah, bringing food and water to nourish his body. Twice the angel came. Why? To show Elijah what God was about to do.**

In my life, God sent a nurse who encouraged me to get tested for rheumatoid arthritis. She saw my pain. She’d suffered the same pain. She nagged me until I made an appointment with my doctor. Who, wait for it…diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis.

I wish I could say my pain instantly disappeared with medical treatment. Constant and unrelenting stress is a trigger for RA. And boy was I under stress.

But as I found a tiny bit of relief, I was able to catch a glimpse of blue sky between the dark clouds. I no longer felt that God had abandoned me. A few friends rallied around, cleaned my house, brought food, donated money toward our bills.

When I look back on that time, I wonder how I could have been so low. Like Elijah, I couldn’t see beyond my circumstances.

But God. He is always there, freely offering his grace and comfort, no matter the circumstances and no matter the pain.

Look at what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it (his thorn in the flesh) away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

Today, when I’m curled in a fetal position in bed, wracked by arthritis pain or a debilitating migraine, I repeat that verse. When I’m weak, God is there. When I’m suffering, God is there. God is always there.

God is always there for you, too.

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Friends, Jane’s story is a testimony of God’s presence during overwhelming circumstances. Are you overwhelmed today? God is always there for you, too. But sometimes the valley seems so dark that we cannot perceive the Lord’s presence. This is when it’s crucial to spend time remembering God’s promises. Take a moment to write down this verse. Place it in an area where you will see it often so it can encourage you.  

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Another way to remember God’s presence during seasons of suffering is to praise Him through the pain. This has been life-changing for me throughout twenty years of debilitating pain and living with advanced-stage cancer. Praising the Lord will safeguard your heart against despair. You can read more about that in  How to Guard Against Despair During a Health Battle.

For Comments: What about you? How have you sensed God’s presence when you’re in pain or suffering?

*If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to a trusted pastor, counselor, family member, or friend. Help is available 24/7 through the Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255), which will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, even after 988 is launched nationally (USA) on July 16, 2022.

**I Kings 19 NIV