How do I get my mind to stop questioning itself? It seems like it’s a battlefield of the mind 24/7. I get so angry with myself and then I get angry with God because I feel like we are meant to suffer.
My dear friend, thank you so much for asking about this. There is no shame in expressing your heart honestly before the Lord, and I assure you that what you are experiencing and feeling at this time is common to many in this world, Christian and non-Christian alike. It has been 45 years since I confessed Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, but only a month after that, I received the diagnosis of progressive blindness which ruined my practice of dentistry and cast a pall of doubt and fear upon my future. But, the Lord was faithful to me, and I can say most assuredly that I can now appreciate the tapestry of life that the Lord wove for me according to His perfect will-I know that I have been blessed more after blindness than before. But, it took some time for me to realize that God’s love and care for me is certain—He is sovereign, and His ways are right and good. In this world of suffering and pain, the Christian, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can learn to trust in God in all circumstances, both those that seem agreeable, and even those which do not.
Now, one thing that we must understand is that we live in a fallen world. This is a world ruined by sin. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, death entered the world at that time through sin, and as Adam’s children, we all are born with that sin nature and are subject to death. Actually, the whole creation comes under this curse of death, and so the root cause of all the pain and suffering we see in the world today is sin. Now, I probably cannot answer to everyone’s satisfaction that age old question of why God allows even good people to suffer in this world. but what I can do is to assure you that God knows about your suffering, and He cares—God loves you, and He has demonstrated His love for you and for all mankind by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus to be our Savior. Now, I’d like to cite a few verses which tell of this amazing love of God for lost, ruined sinners like you and like me. First, in John 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. We read also in 1 John 4: 9-10, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. When we read that “God sent” His Son,” we must understand that within that small word, we see the cost of our salvation-God’s only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus was sent to die on the cross for sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). As sinners, we come under the judgment of God’s Law, and the only way for us to be saved from the consequence of our sins, which is the wrath and punishment of God, is to believe with our hearts that Christ died on the cross and took our rightful punishment upon Himself, paying the price for our redemption through his blood. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”.
For those who are not believers, the response to suffering from calamities and disappointments in this world is often anger, often directed towards God. Even Christians can at times feel anger and frustration when really bad things happen in our lives; however, as Christians, we do have a limitless source of hope and Grace streaming to us from God if we hold fast our faith in the precious promises of His Word. But now, why does God even allow Christians to suffer in this world? This can be very difficult to accept- it requires that we trust in God’s good intentions towards us, even when we simply do not understand. Again, we live in a fallen world, and the effects of sin are all around us-wars, disease, famine, murders, and natural disasters of all kinds—all of us who dwell in this world are impacted by these things, and that is pretty much universal. Moreover, for the Christian, the power of Satan is directed against us in this world as we read in Ephesians 6. Satan cannot rob us of our salvation, so it becomes his purpose to rob Christians of the joy of our salvation, and to throw back the spreading of the Gospel if he can by any means accomplish this. We read in Philippians 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Additionally, we read in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” So, it is for the Christian to walk by faith, come what may. The Lord Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16: 24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
But again, as Christians, we can rest secure in God’s love for us, and can believe that His will for us will be accomplished: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28).
Now, as to how to stop the feelings of anger and disappointment you have been experiencing, again, be assured that you are not alone. As a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, you may trust that Jesus loves you, and seeks to comfort you in your time of need. John 14: 27 reads, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. Again, the Lord Jesus speaks to us in John 16: 33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”.
My dear Christian friend, I hope these words are of comfort to you. If you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, you can always remember that in those times that try the soul, and we all have those times, that the God of the universe loves you, and you can know with assurance that He will care for you: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you,” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Whether we understand or not,
God has a purpose in what He allows in our lives, and that purpose is always for our good. In James 1:2-5, we read, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him”. I believe that what these verses tell us is that when we simply do not understand the trial we are going through, just know that God is working towards our good if we can be patient and trust His goodness and mercy towards us; and when we pray, the Lord will not scold us for asking why, but will give us His assurance that He is in this thing. We read in 1 Peter 4:13, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy”. And, having endured suffering with the Lord, and having tasted his love and care for you, you may be able to comfort others as well, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God,” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4).
But now, my dear friend, what if you have never put your trust and faith in the Lord Jesus for your salvation? The good news is that God loves you and wants you to come to trust in the Lord Jesus. He is calling out to you just now most tenderly: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).
May the Lord bless His Word to your heart. (480.6) (SF)