Emmanuel - With Us in Our Sufferings

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:22-23

Throughout my career as a nurse, I have been invited into the sufferings of patients. This is a very intimate place to be, as people feel vulnerable, frightened, and confused as to why this suffering is happening, why they are experiencing such circumstances. This is a sacred space for many times I have seen the work of the Holy Spirit firsthand. We as believers will all endure trials in our lifetime. This is not something that should be considered strange, as we are told in the scriptures that we will suffer. It is often here that the Spirit teaches us things we wouldn’t be able to grasp any other way.

Many years ago, I had a conversation with a friend whose daughter was seriously injured in an accident. She required months in the hospital and was left with permanent debilitating injuries.  One night, my friend went to the hospital chapel to pray. He asked God how anything good could possibly come out of this circumstance and the suffering of his daughter. In his Spirit he received his answer. God replied, “Nobody thought the suffering of my Son would bring about anything good - but look what it has done.” There in the hospital chapel, he was able to understand the deep love of his Heavenly Father in a profoundly different way than he had before. Throughout the weeks his daughter was hospitalized, he and his wife were able to share the hope and comfort of the gospel with others.

When we are at the end of ourselves, when we are completely empty, we are able to listen and hear God’s voice more clearly. As my patients did with me, we invite Christ into our intimate space of suffering. These are precious, sacred times. We learn in these times that we can rely completely on Him, and we begin to lean into all of His promises. We grow more and more dependent on God for all our needs, and realize that His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in weakness. He is faithful- and as we look back on our times of suffering, we can rejoice in what God has done in our lives. We see that God was always with us, and that he is with us still. Because of these God appointed experiences, we can share in the sufferings within community, offering words of hope, and the reassurance of all that we have in Christ.

As we long for those things unseen that will one day be revealed, let us be reminded of what we as believers have waiting for us-eternal joy and glory with Jesus, our Emmanuel.

-Eileen Cheatham