Do you personally resonate with this statement or know someone who does?

“Lord, I’ve done my best to serve You, denied myself, been faithful in prayers, loved my neighbours as much as I could, and forgiven my enemies, but I am in a bottomless pit of pain and problems. Through all this, You have not answered my countless prayers. Wasn’t I better off before I came closer to You? Lord, what wrong did I do to be treated like this?”

Even St. Teresa of Ávila, in frustration, commented to Jesus when she fell off her wagon during a journey: “If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few!”

When God allows delays in life, coupled with mounting problems and seeming silence, we may endure what feels like an excruciating test of endurance, as if our nerves are tearing apart.

David, the shepherd, experienced even greater suffering. His story of rejection and pain (though God deeply loved and glorified him) has been well-known throughout history. Through his example, God reveals an important truth about Himself:

Isaiah 55:9: “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

The Book of Psalms, much of which was written by David, captures his experiences of pain, rejection, and abandonment. These sentiments are expressed in his personal cries to God:

• Psalm 69:8: “I am a stranger to my own family, a foreigner to my own mother’s children.”
• Psalm 27:10: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”

David’s rejection by his family is evident when Samuel came to anoint the next king. Jesse, David’s father, did not even consider him initially. Samuel, prompted by God, had to ask specifically for David, after which Jesse sent for him (cf. 1 Samuel 16:11).

David’s time in the pastures, tending sheep, was not just a lowly task but a period of isolation and danger. His brothers appeared to dismiss and mock him, as seen in this account:

1 Samuel 17:28: “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.’”

David could have felt crushed by this rejection, but instead, he turned to God with unwavering faith. In his loneliness, he clung to the Lord as his Father:

• Psalm 68:5: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.”
• Psalm 25:16: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.”

Through his trust in God, David found confidence and strength, declaring:

Psalm 27:2-3: “When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”

God’s Spirit taught David courage and faith during his time of isolation. His care for the lambs in the pastures, defending them against lions and bears, reflected the protection and love he received from God. This time was not a punishment but a preparation for David’s future as a shepherd-king of Israel—a faithful leader willing to give his life for his people.

Even in the wilderness, David did not blame God for his struggles or the rejection he faced. Instead, he declared: “You are now my Father!” In response, God promised him:

Psalm 91:14-15: “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.”

Through David’s life, God demonstrates that suffering is not a sign of abandonment but often a preparation for greater things. The difficulties David endured were stepping stones towards his destiny as a great king.

In these trials, God says to us as He did to David: “Because you take Me, the Most High, as your refuge rather than blaming Me, I am well pleased with you and will make you great. I will use your trials to teach and strengthen you for the future I have prepared for you.”

Lessons for Us Today

When we experience trials, it may feel as if our prayers only lead to more challenges. These moments are not random hardships but divine appointments—purposeful trials allowed by God to refine us and prepare us for a glorious destiny. They are not punishments but part of His plan for our ultimate good.

Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Like David, we are called to have faith—faith that looks beyond what our senses and logic tell us. Faith is the vision that allows us to trust in God’s promises, even when the path seems unclear:

Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

May 2025 be a year of faith for all of us, where we learn to see every trial as part of God’s beautiful and loving plan for our lives. Let us magnify our understanding of Him as the ultimate Father of love.