A Prayer for Comfort When Someone You Love Is Suffering - Your Daily Prayer - November 15
November 15, 2026
A Prayer for Comfort When Someone You Love Is Suffering
By Peyton Garland
Bible Reading
“He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief… He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God… But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5
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People say that I have a strong pain tolerance. I handle physical pain with a bit of grit and determination that, honestly, is nothing but pride. But I will quickly tell you that, without a doubt, there is no pain quite like that that tortures the mind and the soul. As someone who struggles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, there have been hard seasons that have had me questioning why God couldn’t give me some other burden to bear.
Perhaps you feel the same way, but in reverse. Maybe a chronic illness has your body so defeated that you would take any sort of mental condition for the trade-off of physical relief. Isn't that the reality of a fallen world? Each of us carries an unwanted weight, one that keeps us tethered to the reality that our bodies and minds are not whole on this side of heaven. From the inside out, we are pressed.
If this isn't enough, there is the pain of watching someone you love endure suffering, no matter the sort, and it can feel unbearable.
I remember the heartache of watching my sister endure her first breakup. I remember the heaviness of witnessing my mother grieve her deceased father. I recall watching my husband lose his job during the 2020 pandemic. And now, I watch my oldest son fight Type One Diabetes every day.
When someone you love is suffering relentlessly—and there is nothing you can do to fix, let alone ease, the pain—you feel helpless, downtrodden, and, at times, a bit angry. You might question your faith or wonder where God is.
This doubt is natural. But can I share a thought that struck me not long ago, one that has given me great understanding, even though it doesn’t promise to destroy all of my fears or offer a cushioned path?
It’s the thought that God loves us so much that He allows us to navigate this world with free choice, but due to our selfish choices, we have created a world where our Father has to watch His children suffer day in and day out until it’s time for earth to see her last days.
We want God to step in to resolve all of our heartaches and pain, but we still want to do things our way. We want free will without its consequences. Meanwhile, we are mad that God doesn’t make this contradiction work.
We say He doesn’t care or is calloused to our suffering, yet He ceaselessly carries all of our burdens and pain. He sees and feels the weight of every soul on this earth.
No matter our story, we can’t out-suffer God. He sacrificed His Son in the most impossible way, and He continues to suffer as He watches us use His gift of free will to cause more pain and heartache.
I share all of this so you know it’s not necessarily wrong to question why God allows suffering, especially where your loved ones are concerned. But if a loved one’s trial has you growing bitter, I want to remind you that aiming your bitterness at God will never alleviate your grief. It certainly won’t offer spiritual reprieve and healing for you or your loved one either.
Keep the faith, friend. As Psalm 77:14 boldly declares, “You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”
Let’s Pray
Lord, thank you for being the God who restores, heals, and renews. All the same, thank you for being the God who bears our burdens. You sit with us in the therapist’s office, in the emergency room, in a hospital bed, on our bathroom floor, in the corner of our closet, and anywhere else fear, pain, and suffering take us. Grant us the faith to lean into your goodness, to take your hand and believe in your love as we place our loved one’s heart and body in your hands.
Thank you, Jesus, that you are the God who performs miracles. In your almighty, all-powerful name, Lord, Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/luza studios
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