My dog, Tovi, has some health challenges that need intervention. The treatment hurts, and is scary. She has no idea it is going to help her and would avoid it if she could. I wish I could explain it to her, but obviously, it is beyond her understanding. It hurts to inflict that on her, but I know it is for her good. Somehow, she still trusts me and just wants to be with me.
God must feel a similar pain when He allows me to endure certain trials. He knows it is ultimately for my good, but it is still painful to endure. Often, His purpose is so far beyond my own comprehension that I have no way of understanding what is happening.
How often might I be enduring something for my benefit that is painful and scary? And yet God is allowing it because He knows it will help. Am I willing to trust and rest in His arms? Do I just want to be with Him when it hurts?
God doesn't allow pain because He likes it, but because He knows it will help me heal or grow. That’s not to say that all painful or uncomfortable trials are inflicted by God. I may endure difficult times from my own doing, or just from the evil in the world, but I also must remember that sometimes the pain is healing.
As painful as it is to see my furry friend endure needed pain at my own hand, God must feel that even more acutely with me. I understand God’s ways even less than my dog understands mine. But I know I can learn from her trust.
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
