Where is God in Your Suffering? - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - February 26, 2026
iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women
Audio By Carbonatix
By Carolyn Dale Newell, Crosswalk.com
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18 NKJV
I spent most of my time lying in bed with an ice pack on my back. I prayed for God to heal me, but the relentless pain continued. Every so often, I’d hobble on my cane to go to physical therapy, but someone was always waiting for me when I returned home.
Iva, my Black Labrador Retriever, remained with me constantly. She was my guide dog, and as a team we walked everywhere, but now crippling pain interrupted our working relationship. She still wanted to be near me. Each time the nerve pain shot through my body, I screamed. Iva jumped up from her resting place on my bed and kissed my face.
As much as my body ached, my heart ached because Iva and I could no longer walk together, so my husband exercised her after he came home from work. They’d return to tell me about the deer Iva made friends with or the Halloween decorations Iva intently watched. Before long, Iva’s favorite decoration on their walks was a Christmas inflatable Mickey Mouse.
A few epidural injections gave me some mobility. Iva and I walked while I used a cane, but I still needed a major spinal surgery. After the surgery, she took her post on my bed again.
Part of my physical therapy included walking with a walker. As I did several laps in the driveway, my husband found Iva watching me from the front door. He brought her to me on a leash.
“She can’t guide me on a walker!” I told him. I was wrong. That’s precisely what she did.
Through that year, God seemed silent many times. Why did He allow the pain and inability to walk to last for so long? Prayers seemed to go up, but answers rarely came down.
As disappointment loomed, I grew quite discouraged and began spending afternoons lying in bed, mindlessly watching TV. It was an escape from the ashes of my life.
I began to doubt God. The enemy infiltrates our solitude and whispers in the dark.
He asks, “Would a good god do this?”
Making it through each day became a struggle, but there was Iva, a portrait of my heavenly Father’s love.
It took me a long time to realize that God sends His comfort through other people and, yes, even through a dog.
Perhaps you are going through physical pain or illness today. Maybe you are dealing with depression, anxiety, or some other form of suffering. Do you feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers? Do you begin doubting His goodness because of His silence?
Friend, I want to reassure you that suffering doesn’t mean God doesn’t love you or that God isn’t good. God allowed His own Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer as He was beaten and ridiculed and then died on a cross.
We can’t measure God’s love by our circumstances. Look around you. Who has God placed in your life? Is it a friend or a spouse? Is there a fluffy cat or loving dog watching over you, wondering when you will get well?
We think God is silent, but He has given us the gift of pets and people to shower us with His love because He doesn’t want us to be alone in our suffering.
Look at our verse. God is near to those who have a broken heart. He is closer to you now than when life goes great. He has compassion for us. As our Creator, He has blessed us with friends, furry and human, as an extension of His love.
He heals the brokenhearted.
And binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 NKJV
God never intends to leave us with a broken heart. He wants to heal the aching within. Although He may not heal our bodies or restore a relationship, He does tend to the state of our hearts in His time.
I grew discouraged and depressed during that long battle with scoliosis. I allowed it to steal my joy and peace, but I knew I needed to find something to thank God for, so I wouldn't become bitter. I thanked Him for Iva and the many ways she showed me love. I thanked Him for the visitors and cards.
Friend, what can you thank God for today? While God is silent, He isn’t still. Look for the small things that remind you of His love. Allow Him to make beauty from the ashes of your life.
Lord God, I often think You have stopped listening, but You hear every prayer. While you haven’t sent the relief I want, you have sent someone to give me joy. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Rafal Jedrzejek
Carolyn Dale Newell is a best-selling author and certified speaker. She knows the bitter taste of suffering from blindness to chronic pain. Her passion is to encourage women to keep their eyes on Jesus and not their circumstances in her devotional, Embers of Endurance: Rising Above Chronic Pain and Illness. You can connect with Carolyn on her website and her women’s ministry group on Facebook.
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalm 51: Restoring the Joy of Salvation
Can a heart stained by the worst kinds of betrayal ever truly be restored?? When the world demands justice, does God offer a different way back? In this devotional on Psalm 51, we step into the wreckage of King David’s greatest failure—the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. We move beyond a simple apology to uncover the specific Hebrew anatomy of David's confession: Pesha (rebellion), Avon (twistedness), and Hata'ah (missing the mark). We explore the shocking reality that under Mosaic Law, David should have faced the death penalty, yet he boldly asks God to "create a way" where the law offered none. If you’ve ever felt like your mistakes have disqualified you from God’s presence, or that you are not worthy due to your past mistakes, this episode offers a roadmap from guilt to gladness. Come ready to run toward the Father who doesn't just want your perfection, but your broken and contrite heart. If this episode helped you connect with God, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
