When we hurt, so does God

Martha Olawale

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3

The Bible says that God’s commandments are not burdensome. They are for our good and for God’s pleasure because He desires to see our souls prosper. When God calls us to love righteousness, it’s not to punish us but to protect us. 3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” The prosperity of the mind and body is best enjoyed when the soul prospers, and for it to prosper, the Holy Spirit must be in control.

The soul is the core that connects us to God, and only He knows what can satisfy it to bring good out of it. Our willingness to submit to God guarantees the good we enjoy. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

A mother who cautions her child not to walk on broken glass does so to shield him from piercing his legs, not to make his life miserable. She can see the pain he’ll endure and will do anything to spare him. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Despite our human imperfections, our hearts share a part of God that makes us feel others’ pain, and when a child hurts, so does a loving parent.

Pain comes with piercing, but joy comes with healing. Many of us are wounded in our souls, and while we try to patch it up with our human gratifications, only obedience to God’s commandments can heal us. Just as a child with a piece of glass in his leg cannot heal until it is removed, we must allow the Holy Spirit to help us remove the foreign objects from our wounds, because our healing and wholeness won’t be possible until He does. We must let go to let God, because when we hurt, so does God.