Maneuvers - No. 36
I’m With You
in Suffering
Have you ever felt so overcome with physical or emotional pain that it seemed impossible to feel Jesus’ presence, friend? A mental fog of sorrow that seemed too strong for Holy Spirit’s light to break through?
We’ve been there, friend. And so have many of Jesus’ followers, people who have held tightly to him even when they felt nothing but darkness.
People like Darlene Deibler Rose.
Darlene was a missionary in New Guinea during World War II. When Japan invaded the island and took her and her friends captive, she experienced some of the worst living conditions imaginable. For years, she and her fellow inmates—many of whom were also missionaries—had to work all day long in Japanese prison camps led by men who were often cruel and demanding.
Darlene and her companions endured beatings, starvation, bomb explosions, rabid dog attacks, malnutrition, mental breakdowns, and painful diseases due to their unsanitary conditions. Darlene’s own husband sadly died of dysentery (a painful intestinal infection caused by bacteria) in another camp.
But through it all, she had one thing—Jesus’ presence. No one could take that away from her. Not the screaming prison wardens or the rabid dogs or the prisoners who slandered her out of envy. She still had Holy Spirit’s comfort and felt his loving arms around her.
Is that the kind of relationship you want with Jesus, friend? One in which even your deepest pain can’t remove the love you feel from him? One in which you can pour out your heart to him, knowing he hears you—and cares?
You may feel like your situation isn’t as dire as Darlene’s. But our heavenly Father cares about your pain just as much, and he longs to soothe your aching heart. So today, we invite you to lean in and listen to what Holy Spirit has to say. Will you let him draw you closer with his love and truth?
01.
The Message
“Sometimes, in a mental fog, you have trouble seeing me and hearing me. It can be discomforting. And emotionally, you wander about, lost in pain. You feel disordered, distracted. How do you find your way to me then? How do you find my comfort and hope? How do you wake up from your slumber, your way of getting through a day just trying to survive?
“Sometimes finding me takes doing less than you think it does. Sometimes it takes just remembering me—remembering that you are not alone, that you are dearly loved, that you, in your suffering, are dearly cared for and not forgotten. You can hold onto my hand. You can rest and think of me. You can let your mind imagine the two of us together. You can talk to me about how you feel. You can let me just sit next to you, resting your head on my chest.
“I do not delight in your pain. I want to bring you healing. I want to bring you rest. I want to bring you the deepest relief—have you experience peace and joy deeper than any momentary absence of discomfort. I am the true healer, and my presence in you can align your thoughts with mine, your heart with mine, your dreams with mine.
“Let me be with you in your suffering now. Let me be with you to help you endure the physical and emotional pain. Let me pierce through the fog that makes you feel distant from me. Let me help you rest, the physical rest your body needs to heal—and the deeper rest that comes from surrender and trust in me. I’ve got you. I am with you. I love you. I will carry you. I am not leaving your side.”
02.
Listen
How did your heart respond to Holy Spirit’s words this week? More specifically, what emotions and thoughts did the word “rest” bring to your mind? Let’s write down our response to Jesus.
03.
Think
“When you pass through waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame kindle on you. … Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:2, 5a, MEV).
1. What suffering is making you feel distant from God right now? What sorrow is blocking your intimacy with him? Let’s be specific as we describe the pain and what’s causing it.
2. What are some practical ways you can find Jesus in that pain? What can you do to purposefully rest in his presence?
04.
Trust
Earlier, we talked about Darlene and the struggles she went through as a prisoner during World War II. We’d like to share with you one more story from her life.
At one point during her imprisonment, Darlene’s captors thought she was an American spy (she wasn’t) and tortured her for weeks to get information she didn’t have.
In that dark cell, surrounded by filth and relentless mosquitos and suffering from dysentery and hunger, Darlene felt hopeless. Alone. Abandoned. Where was God in her physical and emotional pain?
But there, in that darkness, Jesus met her. Scriptures and worship songs she thought she had forgotten burst through her foggy thoughts. God’s presence became overwhelmingly real to her, and she fellowshipped with him more deeply than ever before.
That experience taught Darlene a valuable truth, which she describes in her memoir, Evidence Not Seen:
“It was one of those moments when I thought the Lord had left me. I turned away and said, ‘God?’
“And immediately He spoke to me… He said, ‘My child, did I not say to you that when you pass through the waters, and these are waters of sorrow, that I would be with you? And through the floods, they would not overflow you? And neither will the fire kindle upon you?’
“I said, ‘All right, Lord.’
“In the night hours, the tears would flow, and then my Lord would come to me and He would speak peace to my heart, and I learned experimentally about the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”
If Darlene can experience Jesus’ presence in a grimy, dank cell, could we, too, experience his presence in the middle of our pain?
Today, we invite you to join us in doing just that. With a journal, a pen, and a Bible, let’s take some time to be alone with Jesus and rest in his presence. If it helps, feel free to set the atmosphere with worship music, candles, or dim lighting, or go outside to see his creation. This time is for you and Holy Spirit.
Here, now, let’s steady our breath—longer and deeper with each inhale and exhale. Breathe in. He’s here with us. And breathe out. He’s right by our side.
Now, let’s think back to the pain we described in response to Question 1. Those situations, relationships, mistakes, or physical ailments that are hurting us. What is Holy Spirit saying to you about that pain? What insights or promises or Scriptures or worship lyrics is he bringing to your mind?
Remember: This moment isn’t about fixing our problem. We don’t have to force anything. It’s simply about being with him. Receiving his healing, his comfort, his love. Can you feel it?
Let’s write down anything Holy Spirit shows us—big or small. It’s all important. And now, let’s close in prayer…
05.
Pray
Father, thank you for your healing presence. Just you being here, with me, brings fresh light into my soul. Your presence lets me breathe again, so thank you.
I surrender this pain to you. These fears I can’t shake. This suffering that feels like it’ll last forever. Help me break through the mental fog that makes me feel so distant from you. Forgive me for letting this pain push me away from you. I want to see you and your love more clearly.
Draw me closer, right now and every day, every time that pain resurfaces. Your presence is enough for me. I love you, Lord.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
