Suffering at Christmas? 5 Insights to Give You Hope
Snow falls heavily like flour through a sifter, and I’m alone with only my thoughts and the hushed whisper of flakes gathering on frozen earth. As I sit beneath the hemlocks, I’m reminded of a season years ago when our family was suffering at Christmas.
It was a year filled with illness, disappointment, and deep grief.
We’d just watched a lifelong dream go up in smoke, and we weren’t sure where to turn next.
We were grieving, and we were having a hard time embracing the Christmas season.
I wonder if you’ve walked through a similar season of your own. Maybe it was a long time ago, or you might be on the brink of a long winter right now.
Hope for When You’re Suffering at Christmas
If this is you, I gently encourage you to hold onto hope.
God hasn’t left you. He promises to be with you always (Deut. 31:6). He promises that nothing can ever take his love from you (Romans 8:38-39).
If you need hope this Christmas, here are five things God is doing in your darkest hours. Soak in these Truths and let the love of God comfort your heart.
1. When you are suffering, God is singing over you.
What is God doing when you lie awake on your sickbed? Where is he when you’re sitting in the cubicle wondering if you’re wasting your life?
What’s he doing when you’re not sure you can take another day?
Dear friend, hold onto this truth: God has not left you; he sings over you in your darkest hour (Zephaniah 3:17).
Every time I read this verse, I think of the way I comforted our children when they were younger. I scooped them up, held them in my arms, and sang over them.
God sings over us in the same way. He invites us to draw near to him and receive his comfort.
2. If you are suffering at Christmas this year, God is lovingly pursuing you.
No passage of Scripture stirs my heart more than the words of Hosea 2:14.
After warning his people to turn away from their sins, God speaks these words through the prophet Hosea: “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:14).
God is looking for a way to allure you—to woo you—and draw you to himself. He is pursuing you.
You might feel all alone. Amid these feelings, plant your feet on the solid foundation of God’s love: You are never alone. Your heavenly Father is pursuing you.
If this feels untrue to you, stand on the truth of the unchanging character of our God. The same God who pursued his people thousands of years ago is pursuing you at this very moment.
3. God weeps with you when you suffer.
When Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for our sins. He also carried our sorrows. He experienced the weight of the sorrows of the world.
Our Lord knows about sorrow, and he has a compassionate heart.
Jesus counts our tears in a bottle. He also weeps with us. We see this compassionate spirit as Jesus weeps with Martha and Mary after the death of Lazarus in John 11.
Your tears do not go unnoticed by the Lord. Jesus is not far off when you are in pain; he weeps with you.
Jesus is not far off amid your pain; he weeps with you. #suffering #Jesuswept #trials #struggles #encounteringGod Click To Tweet4. If you are suffering at Christmas this year, God is still providing for you.
Even if you cannot see it now, God is making provisions for you.
Our idea of provision does not always match God’s idea, but he promises to give us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
If you don’t feel or see his provision today, make the declaration, by faith, to believe that God will withhold no good thing from you.
Years ago, when I was suffering through a dark Christmas, I could see very few signs of God’s provision. However, when I reached the other side of the darkness, months later, God showed me that he had been providing for me all along.
The same is true for you. You might not see signs of God’s hand upon your life. Nevertheless, choose to believe that he will give you everything you need to endure this season.
5. God is filling your cup while you suffer.
I’ve always been intrigued by the second part of Psalm 23.
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, it’s hard to see how God is simultaneously preparing a table before us and filling us to overflowing.
When the valley is dark, it doesn’t feel like anything in the world is overflowing.
Trust in the promise that God is transforming you into the image of Christ as you walk through this valley. He is filling you to overflowing because when you emerge from this fiery trial, you will look more like Jesus. Looking more like Jesus will change the world around you.
A Free Devotional for When You Are Suffering at Christmas—or Any Time
Lastly, I have a gift for you. God wants to continue to speak into your heart as you navigate this valley. He is waiting to heal your heart, lift your head, and pull you from your lowest moment. Rays of Light for the Dark Days is your daily guide. This free 20-day online devotional will inspire, comfort, and uplift you. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox—no strings attached.
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Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can buy your paperback or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBook on Amazon right here.
