Does God Care About My Hurt? – Dealing With Pain When It Seems Like God Doesn’t Care
There are bitter tears shed behind quiet closed doors. No one is immune. Every one of us feels this pressure. Our days drag on, problems rising like the tide, dragging us down. We feel alone and unheard. Crying out to God is the only hope for relief we have. But when He is silent, I begin to wonder if God cares.
Does my vulnerable, battered heart matter to Him? Because in these quiet moments, when my heart hurts and I feel abandoned, it feels like it does not.
King David and many of the other psalmists wrestled with this same questions. The book of Psalms details the way he cried out to God in these moments. This book is lined and lined again with marks from my pen-my attempt to etch into my mind that I’m not alone, that we all cry, and that God is good.
Psalm 88 gives me permission to present my raw emotions to God.
It shows me that life can cry. That Christians can cry and it’s okay. That we can pound our fists and soak our pillow with tears and feel, “afflicted and close to death,” and He still listens.
Most of the psalms end on a happy note. This one does not. Because some days, all we have to offer God is a raw sorrow. Nonetheless, He invites us to draw close to Himself. We don’t have to wait until we are through the muck and the mire, we can come in the midst of it and bring our confusion and pain before Him.
Our pain has been counted by God
Psalm 56 tells us that God has bottled up our tears and recorded them all. This tender care shows me that, even when I don’t see His work, my pain matters deeply to Him. Not a single tear goes unnoticed.
In the passage before, Psalm 55 tells us that we are to cast our cares upon Him and that He will sustain us. Our pain matters and He invites us to bring these burdens before His throne. In our sorrow, we can trust that God is paying attention to each and every moment of our pain. Allowing this truth to penetrate my heart has in and of itself strengthened me.
Your pain is preparing you for glory.
In one of my favorite and most intriguing passages, Paul tells the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 4) that their affiliations are preparing them for an eternal weight of glory. Not only if He seeing, but He is actively using your pain to prepare you for something wonderful.
Your hurt is being redeemed. You are not left alone in your pain. And further still, God is working on your behalf to turn it into something wonderful. You will not be put to shame for trusting in your Heavenly Father.
Every moment has meaning.
Your God has not abandoned you. Even when He feels far off, we can trust in His promise to be near to the brokenhearted. We can trust that He is tenderly there, counting our tears and working behind the scene to bring about something beautiful.
Because at the end of the day, He loves you. God has already shown us the extent He will go to for us. He stepped down from glory into our lives and sacrificed Himself. Knowing this, we can believe firmly that our lives matter deeply to Him. We can pray unashamed through tears and know that each and every moment of our hurt matters to God.
The Comments
Joanne Jarrett
Gorgeously worded encouragement. Thank you for this.?
Bailey
Joanne JarrettThank you, Joanne!
D at Be you and thrive
“Your hurt is being redeemed. You are not left alone in your pain. And further still, God is working on your behalf to turn it into something wonderful. ” Such powerful words!!! Thank you!
Bailey
D at Be you and thriveHe is so faithful. Thank you for reading.
Nicole
Thank you for writing this. I think it’s so easy to declare God’s goodness when all is well, but it’s hard to navigate sometimes when pain is present. Sometimes we feel like it’s not even our place to cry out or question, but as you’ve referenced it’s commonplace in scripture, so it can be commonplace in our prayer -life and relationship with God as well.
Bailey
NicoleIt really can be. It’s hard but we must keep remembering that God is actively working on our behalf. He is listening and patiently loving us.
This life, by us
Such a beautiful reminder that our pain has been counted by God! He already knows what we are going through and he has a perfect plan. Thank you for sharing!
Bailey
This life, by usIt has indeed. Such a comforting truth to rely upon during our trials.
Amanda
This was so powerful and the timing for me was great. It was exactly the reminder I needed. Thank you!
Bailey
AmandaAmanda, Thank you so much. God works in such wonderful ways and always seems to provide what we need to hear.
Casey
Beautiful! In my life I’ve also found many times that God using my hurt to bring glory to Him.
Bailey
CaseyThank you for sharing, Casey.
Amber Brooks
I often find myself asking God what I’ve done to face opposition, heart break, or anything that does not feel convenient for me. Sometimes I find myself crying out to Him out of sadness, desperation, and frustration. He reminds me that everything has a purpose and that sometimes my suffering is to be a blessing to someone else. I’m no different than those in the scriptures that we read, but I always remember that God knows, is in control, and makes no mistakes.
Bailey
Amber BrooksIndeed, He is in control, Amber. I’m often comforted by 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul begs God to relieve His ailment. God promises that His grace is sufficient for every, single thing in our life.
Carri
This part struck me in a profound way: “Psalm 88 gives me permission to present my raw emotions to God.
It shows me that life can cry. That Christians can cry and it’s okay. That we can pound our fists and soak our pillow with tears and feel, “afflicted and close to death,” and He still listens.”
Thank you for writing about something so many of us need to hear.
Bailey
CarriThank you for reading, Carri. I’m glad it spoke to you.
Carissa
Love this post!!! And it actually has me in tears of confirmation that He does record my tears and He is listening and it’s okay! Thank you for this post! I needed it
Bailey
CarissaCarissa, Thank you for sharing. That brought tears to my eyes. He is faithful.
Alice Mills
I am so glad He cares. I saw the movie “Gifted”. The relationship between the niece and uncle was so beautifully portrayed. I really grieved over the lack of a comforting father in my girls’ early years. God will redeem even that.
Bailey
Alice MillsYes, Alice. Our God is so great that even that He will redeem.
Tara
I need these reminders. God cares even when we don’t understand His plans.
Bailey
TaraYes, He is. Even when life is hard, He is cradling us.
Sammi
The Psalms are my preference to turn to in times of grief, of waiting, and of figuring out how to endure. They have helped me realize my emotions aren’t abnormal in the hard times, and they’re awesome at directing me in how I can just pour it all out! This was a great post!
Bailey
SammiSammi, Thank you for sharing. Do you have a favorite Psalm you turn to?
Rebekah
The idea that Christians don’t have to be okay all the time is a new one to me. The thought that I can feel pain is freeing.
This is a beautiful post.
Bailey
RebekahRebekah, even Christ felt pain and cried out to God asking why He was forsaken. God can handle all of your emotions.
candy
Even at my darkest and most hurtful moments this is when I need to turn to my Heavenly Father the most. He hasn’t forgotten about me, and will never give me more than I can handle. We just need to remember this.
Bailey
candyIsn’t it wonderful to know He hasn’t forgotten about us? I fins such comfort in that.
Kristi
Love this so much! He does catch all our tears and cares about us during our deepest pain. He can use that time to prepare us and use it for His glory!
Bailey
KristiHis redeeming power just knocks me off my feet sometimes. I cannot fathom how much He does to work all things for my good.
Carmen
Wish I would have had this a while ago when I was going through a very difficult time. Very powerful, thank you.
Bailey
CarmenHugs, Carmen <3 Thank you.
Johnetta Washington
This is very heart felt
Mel
Yeah easy to say when 30 years and still pain and heartache and loss. I help anyone that needs it I thank god for being here for me and I’m just broken now and my children are being effected now. I’m really starting to doubt he’s here or that he cares.