Everyone has gone through suffering. Everyone has gone through trials. Everyone has felt pain.

We all have had something horrible happen in our life that we have experienced. And if you haven't yet... you probably will eventually, that's just the world we live in. Whether it's a death of someone close, losing your job, your heart getting broken, or experiencing depression, we have all felt something. Some are worse than others, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less. Never let someone belittle your pain.

But there is hope. THERE. IS. HOPE.

"God is there." This concept is so simple that it is often dismissed immediately, or the person just nods and goes back to crying without really thinking about it. But please don't just blow this off, really think about it.

God is there in the suffering. In the pain. In the tears. In the screams. He is by your side through every step. He is holding you in His arms while you are falling to pieces. He is listening to you as you cry out. You don't even realize it. Just look up. You are loved, understood, protected....held.

In Isaiah 41:10 God says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand." (ESV)

You are a Child of God. That means that you are under the protected covering of God Himself. You are loved by the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He will be there with you by your side and NEVER leave you. No matter what trial or storm you are going through, it is not a match for the God Almighty.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You never were.

God can conquer any pain or suffering you experience. Even when your very soul feels like it is being ripped apart, God brings comfort. Even when your eyes are red and swollen and you are begging for relief, God brings joy. Even when all the colors in the world have faded and all you see is darkness, God brings light. And even when you don't see the point of living and you can't find any reason to keep going, God brings life.

Don't for one moment think that your scar, that your open bleeding wound, is too much for God to heal. There is NOTHING that is too broken for Him to fix. There is NOTHING that is too dead for Him to bring back to life. And there is NOTHING that He loves more than His people... than YOU.

God will bring you relief when your throat is dry and cracked from screaming. He will hold you when you are shaking. He is so much more than just some over-lording deity. He is a Father. A Protector. A Friend.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our mourning and our crying and our despair, that we forget that all is not lost. That this not the end. That life still goes forward.

And it does.

You are stronger than you know. Why? Because you are a follower of Christ. At the point when your own strength fails, Jesus lifts you off the ground, into His arms, and keeps going forward with you held tight to His chest.

This isn't a time of despair. This is a time of victory.

Psalm 32:6-7 says, "Therefore let all the faithful pray to You while you may be found; surely the rising of mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." (NIV)

Whatever you are going through, it is a battle, and God will fight for you every single time. And He will always win. Always.

One of my favorite songs, called Just Be Held by Casting Crowns has one line that says, "Your world's not falling apart. It's falling into place". That one line has stayed with me through a lot.

So reach out. Reach out to your fellow Christians. Let them pray for you. But most importantly, reach out to God. Because remember this:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And you never will be.