Unfortunately, on this side of heaven, life is painful and challenging at times. We have all experienced hurt, no matter how hard we have tried to avoid the feelings. The good news is we don’t have to wait for the storm to pass and the hurt to cease before we can find peace. God desires for us to have it now. Find out how to find peace in the storm of unexpected pain.
A Familiar Hymn
There is a hymn that might be familiar to you, “It is well with my soul.” It was written by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. When Horatio wrote this beautiful hymn, he was not in a place where his life was pain-free; in fact, it was quite the opposite.
Horatio was traveling to meet his wife after a tragic shipwreck. She had survived, but the horrible misfortune had claimed all their remaining children’s lives. One can only imagine the torment he carried in his heart. But Horatio knew where to turn and who to trust. He reached to the only one who had the power to bestow peace amid the storm—the Lord.
Where do you reach when life hurts?
Horatio did not wait for circumstances to get better, the storm to die down, or the pain to lessen. Instead, he looked to God and said, “It is well with my soul.” He knew the Lord would give peace even in the middle of the unexpected tragedy. He was not alone.
Have you ever experienced calm in the middle of a storm?
It is an incredible experience to be able to stand in the middle of chaos and say, "It is well with my soul." God wants us to find peace in the midst of our pain. #pain #findpeace #peace #unexpectedpain Click To TweetI hope you will enjoy this great video that tells Horatio’s entire story and includes a lovely rendition of the song.
Do You Need Peace?
Are you in the middle of painful circumstances that are hard to hold all by yourself? Are you growing weary and longing for peace? It can eat at your soul, ravish your mind, and gives you no rest. But it doesn’t have to be that way. God desires to provide us with peace, the same kind He gave to Horatio. He wants us to say from the depths of our being, “It is well with my soul.”
God allows suffering to enter our lives for many reasons. Sometimes it is a result of our own doing, but many times it is beyond our control. However, we have a choice to receive God’s peace or go it alone.
When intense suffering arrived in my life, I was a believer, yet I didn’t fully embrace peace. My concentration usually focused on alleviating the pain in my own strength. I would attempt to sweep it under the rug or cover it in positivity. After all, I was strong and capable of much.
But to my surprise, day after day, more pain arrived, and it became impossible to carry on my own. It was out of my human control. God was teaching me I needed Jesus. I finally relented and waved the white flag of surrender.
It was then that I understood God was who would carry me through. However, it would not miraculously happen overnight. I would need to do my part too.
To Find God’s Peace
We must choose wisely to uncover God's peace that transcends all understanding. #choose #wisdom #peace Click To Tweet1. Choose to Trust God
We must choose to trust God in the unexpected pain of life if we want to receive His peace. #trust #peace #unexpectedpain Click To TweetOur trust must be deep, thorough, and genuine without expecting Him to take away the pain. We put our trust in God even when it doesn’t make any human sense.
It helps me to say, “Okay, God, I don’t understand, I don’t like it, but I will put my trust in you.
2. Choose Acceptance
We will have to face reality. We don’t have to like our circumstances or God’s plan, but we choose to accept. You might want to say, “It is what it is.” to help you along with this step.
3. Choose to Let Go
We must release our control and give it to God. After all, we never really did have the power anyway. It helps me to put it in the Moses basket. You can read about it here.
4. Choose the Present Moment
We will need to choose to live solely in the present moment. Plus, isn’t it more doable to persevere one moment at a time if you are in the middle of suffering? We don’t need to take on the future nor linger in the past pain. This current moment carries enough joy and pain all by itself. It does take practice to push away those thoughts.
We Can Find Peace
I hope and pray that we can all sing, “It Is Well With My Soul,” and mean it from the depths of our hearts. It does take practice, and we won’t always arrive there on the first attempt. We may even need a reminder or two. I did this week.
When we trust in God, accept our circumstances, let go of control, and stay present, we will find incredible love from our Father above. And then, out of nowhere, as we are standing in the middle of chaotic painful circumstances, peace will surround us, and it will make absolutely no sense. It is the most incredible feeling.
Have you experienced this kind of peace?
Of course, this doesn’t mean the pain goes away, the struggle isn’t real, or God granted our request precisely as we asked. However, it does signify we can feel God’s love and peace no matter what we are going through or where we are.
Peace and pain can coexist; one does not need to cancel the other out. #peace #pain Click To TweetNo, I don’t understand why we have to endure so much suffering here on earth. But I do know when we choose to trust God with the outcomes and believe in his promises, we will find peace.
How have you found peace in the storm of unexpected pain?
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*This post was initially posted on devotable and has been expanded and updated here.
Walking through a storm with my loved one right now. After 22 years of battling and living with mental illness one may think the storms get easier to get through. In many aspects they are and with certainty I declare the Lord is my rock. The pain and heartache is so heavy at times. Please pray for my husbands mental well being. Pray I am able to let go of things said and control in the chaos.
Tracy, I am praying for you and your husband. I know this battle all too well. I agree in some aspects; the storms can be easier because we have learned God is our rock, and we have a few skills under our belt. However, no matter what, the times of instability are painful and exhausting. And for some reason, they always take me by surprise after stable periods, even though I know mental illness comes in waves. Hugs and prayers, Maree
Choose to trust God. That’s the key, isn’t it? I love your image of Moses in the basket. How much did Moses’ mama have to trust God to be able to do that?!
Rebecca,
I can’t imagine putting my baby in a Moses basket and floating him down the river. I want that kind of faith. I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Maree
Maree,
Having lived with an anxiety disorder and depression all my life, yes I’ve learned to sit with God in the pain and have discovered His peace. Our first instinct is to run when suffering comes to our doorstep. It’s only through abiding in Him through the excruciating moments that I’ve learned He is sufficient for my every need. I don’t think trust and faith can be developed in the absence of pain and suffering. It truly is bittersweet. Learning to “lean not on my own understandin” has been an ongoing lesson. Beautiful post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Bev, What beautiful words you have written, “It truly is bittersweet.” Those words capture the essence of suffering. putting our trust in God, and finding peace. I am so glad you have discovered His peace in the middle of anxiety and depression. Thank you for sharing; it gives a great deal of hope to others. Blessings, Maree
That is one of my favorite songs! I have heard the tragic story before. What a lot of faith and trust he had, and God must have given him a peace in his heart. “But God wants us to find peace in the midst of our pain.” I really believe this, too. God has been with me through each hard thing and has taught me to trust. Through every hardship and sorrow He has given me a peace that I could not manufacture on my own. There is a way to have joy in the midst of pain, and I am so thankful for God and his love and mercy. Blessings to you! Thanks for sharing with us at the #LMMLinkup.
Gayle, I am so glad you have trusted God, and he has given you peace in the midst of your pain. God is pretty darn amazing. Thank you for reading and commenting. Maree
Oh yes, I am finding this to be so true also: “It was then that I understood God was who would carry me through.” In the very midst of the pain, He is here to bring His peace. Thank you for these sweet words!
Bettie – Thank you for your sweet words. I am so glad you are finding peace. Blessings, Maree
This was touching!
I love the hymn, It is Well. One of my personal favorites.
And what a convicting, yet inspiring message behind it!
Thank you for sharing this. I agree that we can have peace in the midst of our storm- because of Jesus! 💕
Rachel – Amen! Thank you for visiting today. Maree
Ohhhh….I love that hymn, “It Is Well.” Thank you for sharing it.
Ann,
You are so welcome! I love it too. Maree
Hi Maree,
Yes, God is the ultimate gentleman, He waits for us, but He is in the midst of us carry us through… isn’t He…
Jennifer
Jennifer – I love what you said, “God is the ultimate gentleman.” Yes, he waits for us.Sometimes he has to wait a long time for me. Thank goodness he is patient. Maree
This is beautiful, Maree. I particularly like the fact that you point out the importance of doing our part. And God is faithful to be our peace in the midst of even the roughest storms. These words blessed me today!
Stacey, I am so glad you liked the post, and it blessed you. Music to my ears! Thank you for the encouraging comment. Yes, God is faithful. Blessings, Maree
Great point about needing to do our part. While God desires to bring us through – and we wouldn’t be able to get through without Him – He desires us to seek Him and trust Him. The story of this hymn is so heart-breaking, but I’m thankful God uses even the most horrible tragedies to bring us closer to Him! Visiting from #MomentsofHope.
Thank you for visiting. I hope you return. I love what you said about God desires us to seek him and trust him. Yes, we are his desire. Blessings, Maree
I love Philippians 4:7 and pray for peace daily. It makes a difference!
Sarah, Yes, I need to remember to pray daily for peace. Thank you! Maree
Beautiful, Maree. Sharing on Twitter. Just letting you know I’ll be writing for Devotable too, thanks to the reference you posted on your site. Blessings to you!
Sarah, I am so excited you too will be writing for Devotable. I will have my eye out for your devotions. Hope your day is spectacular. Maree
Maree Dee, I’m going to comment here. It is well with my soul is one of my faves. I saw somewhere yesterday when a storm is brewing an eagle will perch, spread its wings and let the wind of the storm pick him up and take him up over the storm. Storms will come – the secret is flying above them on the wings of the Almighty. xo
I am so glad you commented and shared what you saw yesterday. “Storms will come – the secret is flying above them on the wings of the Almighty,” what a beautiful picture to hold in our minds. Thank you for sharing. Blessings, Maree
Focusing on Heaven in my daily trials gets me through….because all the heartaches, sorrows, hardships and sadness I experienced is only TEMPORARY.
I love that you focus on heaven.