Do you see suffering and feelings of abandonment as proof that God doesn’t care what happens to you? Many people do. Francis Thompson turned that kind of thinking upside down. In his classic poem “The Hound of Heaven,” he writes:
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.15
Let whatever pain or disappointment you are experiencing be an invitation, calling you to find healing and hope in God alone.
“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself … This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, we choose to see hurt and disappointment as proof of Your great love, as an invitation calling us to rely only on You. Help us to trust You more. In Your holy name we pray, amen.