Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 2 Corinthians 1:3 NKJV
Exhaustion overwhelmed me as I pushed through my physical therapist's exercises. Pain kept me awake at night, but my stamina had never returned after the spinal surgery, not even a bit. I decided to try to take a nap as I grabbed my cell phone.
A message flashed across the screen, "It's been two weeks, and you're on the mend!"
That couldn't be farther from the truth. If she only knew what I was enduring daily.
I HAD experienced little change since coming home from the hospital. Nothing was normal after the surgery, except that I could walk without pain.
I couldn't jump back into my routine. After attending Sunday morning church services, I spent the afternoon in bed trying to recuperate from two hours of standing and sitting.
Why do people think you are back to normal? You may have asked those same questions. Does an illness or surgery restrain you from your previous normal life? Have friends and family stopped dropping by to visit?
People don't understand what they have never experienced. Many surgical procedures have a short recovery window, while others are more serious.
Not to make excuses for people's thoughtlessness, but our culture is busier than ever now. Our days are packed with too much to do, and people often forget that the lady down the street doesn't get out much and would love to have a visitor.
While friends and family may not understand our health situation or why we are now living a more sedentary lifestyle, there is one who is never too busy for us: our heavenly Father.
God knows exactly what we feel. He created these bodies, and He understands why we don't bounce back to normal. He understands the loneliness that often accompanies extended recoveries.
Even though God is busier than anyone else, He can still keep the earth spinning on its axis and care for you, my friend, His beloved child.
Look at our focal verse today. God is known as the Father of mercies, which conveys intense compassion. While people may lack compassion, God lavishes it on us richly.
Our heavenly Father is also the God of all comfort, not just some, but all. He is by your side in the wee hours of the night when pain keeps you awake. He pours out comfort when you feel isolated by society. He wants to listen to your laments and prayers, even when you make the same requests day after day.
God is the only one we can truly depend on. His Word speaks to us when we need encouragement or a boost of faith.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV) about God:
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Have you considered turning to His attentive ear when you need someone to talk to? God is our true source of comfort, and He understands the suffering we endure better than we do. His comfort will also include levels of spiritual transformation as we arise from the ash heaps of our lives as gold refined from the fire (1 Peter 1:7).
Our suffering isn't random; it's a definite time of testing to strengthen our faith and make us more like Christ.
Your pain is not hidden from God. He is quite familiar with everything about you. He knows the intricate details of our suffering, not just the physical, but the emotional and mental also.
I know it hurts when people don't grasp what we are going through. Consider turning to God daily, expecting Him to listen and hold onto every word. What can you share with Him? What is something you usually don't share with Him? That may open the door to new conversations with your heavenly Father.
Let prayer become a highlight in your day and a time of consolation in the night. God loves you, and He is there for you when no one else is.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your tender mercies and comfort that You lavish on me. I may be lonely, but with You, I am never alone. In Jesus's name. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Sorajack
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: Feeling Off? Why You Don’t Need to Hold Everything In (And What To Do Instead)
Do you tend to keep your feelings to yourself… especially when you’re upset? Maybe you tell yourself nothing will change, or you don’t want to affect others—so you stay quiet and carry it on your own. But even when you try to move on, something still feels heavy inside.
In this episode of Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast, Bonnie shares a personal moment of how she learned to express difficult emotions to release hidden stress she's been carrying. You’ll discover why holding in your emotions can leave you feeling stuck—and how sharing what you feel, even quietly with God, can help calm your body, bring emotional relief, and remind you that you’re not alone.
If you’ve been feeling “off,” this episode will help you gently release stress you're carrying and experience God’s comfort in a real, personal way.
If this episode brings peace to the storm in your heart, be sure to follow Breathe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Wednesday, 03 June 2026.
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