From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

There are no easy answers to the question of suffering and why some people seem to have especially heavy burdens of pain to bear. What is known, though, is that God cares about every living soul and no one has ever known such suffering that Jesus bore for mankind.

Jesus, holy and perfect, didn’t deserve death. Yet He suffered a cruel death on the cross. His suffering was more intense than man will ever know, because the sins of the whole world were being placed on Him. He did this willingly, because He loves us and wanted to do everything possible to bring us to His amazing grace and wonderful salvation.

Those who turn their lives over to God’s great care can be assured that He is with us in the midst of our suffering. He doesn’t abandon His own. To those who desire to understand suffering, as much as a human can, take a journey through the ancient book of Job. This account reveals the deepest thoughts of a man who experienced the worst. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. He lost his children, his possessions, and his health. Yet he knew that God could be trusted, even in the midst of his circumstances.

We often fail to see what God may be doing in our lives to help others cope with suffering. When we take our eyes off our own personal troubles, it opens up ways to bring words of comfort to others, even leading others to consider what Jesus Christ has done for them. A wonderful hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Turn your heart over to Jesus. Pray now.