Short Answer:
Pain has a way of making everything else disappear, including our ability to see God clearly. But Jesus promises that He is close to us in our hardest moments, even when we cannot feel it.
Why is it so hard to believe God is with me when life hurts?
When you’re dealing with grief, disappointment, anxiety, or loss, the problem in front of you can become the only thing you see.
Pain gets loud.
You may wonder:
“Where is God right now?”
“Why doesn’t He fix this?”
“Does He even notice what I’m going through?”
Mary Magdalene experienced this after Jesus died. She stood outside the empty tomb crying because she believed everything she hoped for was gone.
What she didn’t realize was that Jesus was standing closer than she thought.
Does God actually care when I’m hurting?
In John 20:15, Jesus approaches Mary in her grief and asks, “Why are you crying?”
He doesn’t shame her for struggling. He doesn’t criticize her for not understanding.
He meets her.
That’s the heart of Jesus.
Psalm 23:4 says that even when we walk through the darkest valleys, we do not walk alone because God is with us.
Notice it doesn’t say we avoid every valley. It says God walks with us through them.
Jesus is not only present when life is going well. He is near in the moments when everything feels broken.
How do I start seeing God in a difficult season?
Don’t assume silence means absence.
Look for small reminders that God is still with you:
- A conversation that encourages you.
- Strength you didn’t think you had.
- Peace in a moment that doesn’t make sense.
Sometimes God changes the situation around us. Sometimes He starts by changing something within us.
Either way, you are not walking through it alone.
Written by Dr. Daniel Butson, Lead Pastor at Fellowship Church. Learn more about Pastor Daniel.
You can watch the full message here if you want to hear more of the context behind this moment.