God, Remember Our Suffering

By Bob Bunn

When I was little, my mom taught me an important lesson. On nights when bad dreams overwhelmed me, she’d always encourage me to think about the Bible verses I had memorized in school or at church.

And it usually worked. When I would start feeling anxious or wake up from a nightmare, I’d quote Bible verses in my head. Before long, I would fall back to sleep.

Honestly, I still lean into that practice today. Certainly, my anxieties have outgrown the creatures living under my bed. These days, it’s problems at work or damaged relationships or financial obligations that threaten my peace of mind. My heartbeat quickens, and I get that sinking feeling in my chest. I imagine the worst-case scenario because my mind won’t slow down long enough to process any other options.

During those times, I still start praying Scripture back to God. If I’m really struggling, I’ll go into another room and crack open my Bible—usually to the book of Psalms. Somehow, the raw emotions of the psalmists remind me that I’m not alone. I’m not the first person to wrestle with fear and pain. And the God who helped others is the same God I serve today.

As you read through Psalm 143, you can see that David followed the same pattern when things got messy in his life. I don’t know if his mother taught him how to deal with stress and pain, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Whoever taught him, they did a great job of challenging him to keep his focus on God even in the midst of struggles.

As David thought about the difficulties in his present context, he intentionally filtered them through the past faithfulness of God (v.5). He recalled the “days of old” when God’s presence was such a force in his life. And he reflected on all God had done and the power behind all God had made.

From there, it wasn’t much of a stretch to cry out to God for healing in the moment. David felt like a desert (v.6), but he was confident that God would hear his cries and that God would answer his prayers. Because he had remembered God, and he was sure God would remember him.

Honestly, David had no other choice. God was his only hope of rescue from the enemies who were causing his suffering and pain. The Lord was the only One who could lead him to “level ground” (v.10).

He’s our hope, as well. Let’s be honest…we face some formidable enemies today, both in the physical world and in the spiritual realm. Plus, because of sin, suffering will always be a constant in our human equations. Thankfully, our struggles never catch God by surprise, and we will never face an enemy He can’t overcome.

Our heavenly Father remains our hope in those seasons when we feel parched. Thankfully, we can cry to Him, and we can know that He will remember us in the middle of our worst moments.