Studying God’s Word ping
I don’t exactly anticipate suffering with enthusiasm. But I know it comes to all of us, and, when it does, we have His promises on which to stand.
My own episodes of suffering, such as the one I’m in currently, serve to remind me of 1) Christ’s 1000 times more pain than I’ll ever endure, 2) the suffering by the persecuted Christians elsewhere in the world, and 3) the grace of God and the assurance that He is with me in it, feeling the pain I feel, helping me to trust all the more in His willingness and ability to deliver me from each painful trial.
All of that helps me to have more awareness of my Lord’s presence.