Suffering is a daily reality in this world that is out of synch with the Creator's plans and priorities.

Don't fall into the devil’s trap of blaming God or yourself. The shame of the fall compels us to play the blame game in times of crisis because we believe it should not happen, therefore someone is to blame. The abuses and excesses of religion in the western world and the world over are well known and humility in the face of adversity will serve God's work far more. Jesus warned those in his day who thought the victims of calamity were more deserving than those who were not victims were wrong and missing the point entirely. (Luke 13:1-5)

Now more than ever, hear the Father inviting you to draw nearer to Him than you ever have before. Don't do that by redoubling your efforts to prove your love to God by good works or increased religious activity. Rather, come to the quiet and cultivate a transforming relationship with the Lord of Glory. Paul knew that only as we grow to know Him better would His presence become more real and more satisfying than our own appetites and distractions.

Times of tragedy and vulnerability offer us an incredible opportunity to find out where our security and trust really lies. If it it is placed in the illusions of our religious culture, we would pretty quickly find our stomach churning and sleep difficult to find. This is a great time to discover just how much we entrust our-self to the Lord's care and direction or how much we are shaped and controlled by the religious world in which I live.

God invites us every day to focus on His presence and simply do what is before us each and every day. While that isn’t easy to do, there is no better time to let Him teach you. As you learn the simple joy of following the Lamb wherever He goes, you will find that fear will have no place in your heart. We don't have to let fear control our lives. Whatever you find yourself going through He will more than equip you with his grace and peace to see it through.
Paul is an excellent example here. Following Jesus led him to be locked into prison, stoned by those who opposed him, even to be robbed by bandits and shipwrecked on the high seas. Paul never saw these as proof that God had abandoned him, but part of the challenge of walking with Jesus in a fallen world. Though circumstances would at times press him on every side, or strike him down, he said it never crushed him or led him to despair or loneliness. (2 Cor. 4:7-10).

He drew a real distinction between events on the outside and the joy and freedom he treasured on the inside. Even in calamity that treasure would only be even more refined and through it find new ways to reach out and touch others in the process. Learning to live with a practical, daily dependence on Jesus is what spiritual maturity is really all about.

Elsewhere Paul said his "life was hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3) What an incredible picture! He did not see himself as the victim of circumstance but secure with Christ in God. Regardless of what swirled around him he knew that God was his safety. Of course you can't live there if you're still trying to force God to fulfill what you want for your life. If you only trust him when life is easy, then you will not only miss him, but also miss the most valuable purpose of trust.
God is not the one that causes your sickness, but when you set your mind on God's purpose that He wants you to know in your struggle and know how safe you are in His awesome love, you can awaken to each new day not buffeted by fear, but free to see what he will do in the unfolding events of your life. Nothing can touch you there, not the most painful disease or alluring temptation.

Nothing will bring greater joy to His heart and more freedom to yours than to learn how to live there. With your eyes more focused on Him than what is happening in your life you'll be able to face anything with the confidence that comes from knowing Him and that He is there going through whatever you are facing with you as you bask in His overwhelming compassion and love for you.