Why does God's will for our lives hurt so much sometimes?

I was thinking the same thing too. My walk in the past was always come to God, call into sin, come back stronger, fall into deeper sin. A few months ago, by His grace He pulled me out of that rut and I am seeking to follow Him and never turn away.

It was funny, the verse that brought me hope and back to Him was “whoever comes to me I will never turn away.” Later, I learned in Luke He says “whoever does not renounce all that He owns cannot be my disciple.” So I thought I had to renounce everything (not sinful things by nature, such as hobbies, material-possessions, etc.) before I could be saved, and I tried so hard but found how attached I was to my old habits and felt physically ill trying to force myself to let go of all things. These aren’t sinful things in themselves, music, gaming, guitar, etc. But I was shown how much I enjoyed these things, and that they were taking time away from God.

I’ve been learning that God does these things for our good. Our good is that we are fully obedient and satisfied in Him and Him alone, and I was seeking the source of my satisfaction from these things. I felt hopeless because denying all of it would be deny parts of me and things that I have been doing my whole life, and I tried forcing myself to do it, but failed in my own strength. I always had down-time/“me time” relaxing with these things, and since I was working to avoid sin in them I thought it was ok, but I realized how I held onto that time. How I didn’t let God control it and give it up to Him.

Now, I pray and cut time out of these things to be with Him. I pray that He would change my heart. For me, the hardest things for me to surrender are things that aren’t sins on their own, but actions or activities I enjoy. They become idols, and it can be difficult letting go. But I’ve learned that it’s through God’s power we can let go. I don’t have to beat myself up and try forcing change in my heart. I can bring it to Him and pray “I confess my love for these things is taking precedence over you. Please guide me and change my heart, let my joy be found in you and you alone. I give these things to you and pray for a heart that fully let’s go.”

I still enjoy these hobbies, but I’m not letting them become my focus. And am learning to surrender them to God.

We are so attached to things or pieces of our lives, and even good hinge can get in the way. At first, I thought the only solution would be to surrender everything, sell everything, abandon everything and go live somewhere in isolation lol. But now I know it’s giving these things to God and letting Him become your love and joy, your source of fulfillment in everything. This isn’t done in a moment either, but a lifetime of continually growing in Him. Thankfully, we are blessed that He is willing to help us and will show us the errors of our ways and correct us. It can be EXTREMELY difficult at times, but that’s when serious change and breakthroughs start to happen.

I know for myself (possibly for others too) that I used to think God just wanted to take things away. But there’s a purpose. It’s to turn our focus to Him, and let Him be our all-satisfying treasure. I’ve learned (and struggle) to let Him work on me day by day and to surrender to that work, even if it hurts. Because I know that it’s for my good, it’s to gain Him and lose the world, and my willpower means nothing. I can’t change my heart, but I can go to Him and pray, trust, and let Him change me.

Verses 17–27 - Matthew Henry's Commentary - Bible Gateway
... "(Job 5:17): “Despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. Call it a chastening, which comes from the father’s love and is designed for the child’s good. Call it the chastening of the Almighty, with whom it is madness to contend, to whom it is wisdom and duty to submit, and who will be a God all-sufficient (for so the word signifies) to all those that trust in him. Do not despise it;” it is a copious word in the original. 1. “Be not averse to it. Let grace conquer the antipathy which nature has to suffering, and reconcile thyself to the will of God in it.” We need the rod and we deserve it; and therefore we ought not to think it either strange or hard if we feel the smart of it. Let not the heart rise against a bitter pill or potion, when it is prescribed for our good. 2. “Do not think ill of it;"

... ... ...
"1. If his affliction was thus borne, (1.) The nature and property of it would be altered. Though it looked like a man’s misery, it would really be his bliss: Happy is the man whom God correcteth if he make but a due improvement of the correction. A good man is happy though he be afflicted, for, whatever he has lost, he has not lost his enjoyment of God nor his title to heaven. Nay, he is happy because he is afflicted; correction is an evidence of his sonship and a means of his sanctification; it mortifies his corruptions, weans his heart from the world, draws him nearer to God, brings him to his Bible, brings him to his knees, works him for, and so is working for him, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Happy therefore is the man whom God correcteth, Jas. 1:12. (2.) The issue and consequence of it would be very good, Job 5:18.

[1.] Though he makes sore the body with sore boils, the mind with sad thoughts, yet he binds up at the same time, as the skilful tender surgeon binds up the wounds he had occasion to make with his incision-knife. When God makes sores by the rebukes of his providence he binds up by the consolations of his Spirit, which oftentimes abound most as afflictions do abound, and counterbalance them, to the unspeakable satisfaction of the patient sufferers.

[2.] Though he wounds, yet his hands make whole in due time; as he supports his people, and makes them easy under their afflictions, so in due time he delivers them, and makes a way for them to escape. All is well again; and he comforts them according to the time wherein he afflicted them. God’s usual method is first to wound and then to heal, first to convince and then to comfort, first to humble and then to exalt; and (as Mr. Caryl observes) he never makes a wound too great, too deep, for his own cure."

GraceBro said:

Because I don't see in scripture where it says God is the cause of everything. God allowing something to happen doesn't mean He is the cause of it. He can use the joys and hardships of life, but He is not the cause of it all. He tells us we will experience these things, but not that it is His will.

Click to expand...

I did not use the word "cause". It is God's will for us to experience these things gracefully according to our God given instructions which is the Word of God no matter the source.

... remember to do all that God says to do.....
...
"Psalm 103:10-18 The Message (MSG)

6-18
God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
...
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
...
"God’s love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said."

Haipule said:

I did not use the word "cause". It is God's will for us to experience these things gracefully according to our God given instructions which is the Word of God no matter the source.

Click to expand...

We will have to agree to disagree. Grace and peace.

Haipule said:

Sorry but, we do not follow "christ", we follow Jesus/Yeshua: the christos: thee Anointed-One.

We are also christos: literally anointed with a God given destiny and purpose. The literal anointing is figurative(anointed with oil).

I think it's funny that John said, "The anointing which you all know". Sorry Johnny-Boy but, we do not know! Because John, every time the translators see the word christos, they do not translate it for us and instead, transliterate for us and always give it a capital "C" as a reference to "Christ" when in actuality, sometimes, the writers are talking about our being anointed as one with a destiny and purpose!

It was awesome when I figured that out! Thanks John, now I know!

Click to expand...

I always type a capital for J and C standing for "Jesus" and "Christ" and a capital G for "God". I missed it this time and gave a small c for "Christ". Sorry about that. I went and edited it in my post.

Far Side Of the Moon said:

Why do we have to let go of some people, leave some places or stay. Why does it hurt sometimes?

Click to expand...

Sometimes God has special plans that we can't just understand. It may seem hurtful at first, but the Lord is doing allowing unfortanate tragic outcomes to happen for His greater glory to do a greater good. For example, the apostles did not understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. Even Jesus didn't understand fully why He had to do this sacrifice for the whole world. He said, "Father why have you forsaken me?" But then came the Resurrection and as soon as Mary Magdeline heard that, she told the apostles with Glee. Sometimes to do extraordinary good things means to do something that might seem tragic to us.

longwait said:

I always type a capital for J and C standing for "Jesus" and "Christ" and a capital G for "God". I missed it this time and gave a small c for "Christ". Sorry about that. I went and edited it in my post.

Click to expand...

I try to always do the same thing. My point was that christos is the adjective used by the writers because iEsous was a popular name at the time and still is. There are three different people named iEsous in the Greek NT. One is Jesus, one is the OT hero Joshua and one is translated as Jose(?). So which iEsous are we talking about? The christos--Anointed-One.

Sometimes christos(means: anointed), in context, is referring to us as being anointed with a God given purpose and destiny and is not a reference to Jesus. But, the translators insistence that the word should always be transliterated as "Christ" with a capital "C" completely masks the teaching of the writers.

I will prove to you that christos means: anointed(given purpose and destiny) and this is funny:

Anointed Word

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down--what?), or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead--you’ve got to be kidding!)." Rom 10:6-7 NASB (all parenthesis’, as punctuation marks, were added by editors and/or translators)

Rather, Hyper-literal(same verse): Yet thee out-from(source) of-trust righteousness(feminine) thusly she-is-speaking: “NO YOU-MIGHT-SAY, IN THE HEART OF-YOU, ANY-ONE? HE-SHALL(in the future, acting upon himself)-UP-STEP INTO THE SKY”, this-thing(neuter, refers to the gramma--written word, which is a neuter noun, as Paul is quoting Moses’ writing) it-is christos-anointed to-lead-down*, or “ANY-ONE? HE-SHALL(in the future, acting upon himself)-DOWN-STEP INTO THE (sea without bottom)ABYSS”, this-thing it-is christos-anointed, out-from of-dead-ones(people whose dysfunctional lives are described as dead), to-lead-up*. Rom 10:6-7

Yet, Paul’s Romans 10:6-8 is a quote of Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11-14 which says in the NASB:

"For this commandment(instruction) which I command you(instruct of you) today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

We are also anointed:

Do we really think that Paul was “filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s affliction”? Colossian 1:24 NASB

Rather:

Hyper-Literal: Who(Paul) now I-am-rejoicing in thee affliction of-me over(a position in authority and for) you-all and-also I-am-instead-of(in spite of, affliction)-up-filling(filling up) thee-all-things deficiencies(things lacking) of-thee(related to) pressures(afflictions, tribulations, straits, all which have needs) of-thee anointed(you and I, collectively) in thee flesh of-me over(position) thee body(neuter) of-same(anointed) which-thing(body) it-is thee out-called(we as a body are one anointed whole which has been called out): Col 1:24

So, christos is and adjective describing anything God anoints(literally or figuratively) with a purpose and a destiny.

christos is also used by the writers substantively and appellatively.

SaintCody777 said:

Sometimes God has special plans that we can't just understand. It may seem hurtful at first, but the Lord is doing allowing unfortanate tragic outcomes to happen for His greater glory to do a greater good. For example, the apostles did not understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. Even Jesus didn't understand fully why He had to do this sacrifice for the whole world. He said, "Father why have you forsaken me?" But then came the Resurrection and as soon as Mary Magdeline heard that, she told the apostles with Glee. Sometimes to do extraordinary good things means to do something that might seem tragic to us.

Click to expand...

You said above...Even Jesus didn't understand fully why He had to do this sacrifice for the whole world. He said, "Father why have you forsaken me?"
You are greatly mistaken...Jesus was and is and always will be God and the Triune God is One. To help clarify the authority of Jesus and His Godhood (His dual nature, that is God/man see this...
Jesus said in John 10:16-18:
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The statement you used which He uttered on the cross is also found in the Psalms...a prophecy found in Psalm 22...so Jesus well knew and understood His mission...He and the Father are One.
It was probably uttered as an emotional response and stands as proof that Jesus indeed suffered death and hell for His people. His soul was commended to the Father.

Danielwright2311 said:

Pain is a teaching tool to teach us all compassion and understanding, it makes us better people in the future of the pain full event.

Then there is grateful pain like child birth as when its all over most all woman understands that child bearing is a important event. God gave pain to woman for the sin of eating the fruit to teach them obedience to the lord not as a bad thing but he knew it would tech them to remember the lord Gods commands. This is just a example of pain.

Now it might take time to learn and for some it takes a life time but Pain is a good thing to have to learn life.

It makes you know your a living creature that has conditions.

Click to expand...

Far Side Of the Moon said:

Why do we have to let go of some people, leave some places or stay. Why does it hurt sometimes?

Click to expand...

To mature us spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Our bond to Christ should be the strongest and deepest of them all.

Like so many I had to learn to trust God in all matters...including whom
I married... going with the world, wind up with a worldly marriage and then
I ended up divorced and was left with all the bills and creditors on my case.
Believing worldly friends and not trusting God cost me big time!
I learned the hard way about marrying whom I wanted instead of marrying
a godly man.... learned the hard way about having worldly friends instead of
having godly ones.
I didn't count the cost...but I'd learn the cost...the hard way.
So, let go of some people, leave some places and find which place(s)
to stay.
Yes, there be hurt to deal with, there been loses and there also be joy
and wins and through it all I found God to be faithful and His Word to
be trusted.
He would give me a good hope and future.