Read Luke 1:50

I have a dear friend who stayed by his wife's side for almost a year as she was dying with ovarian cancer. He told me of such occasions, when the Lord gave merciful relief from the pain. He said it was almost as if an angel of mercy hovered over their room.

When we're suffering the consequences of unfair treatment, there is mercy with God. 

When we're enduring the grief of loss, there is mercy. 

When we struggle with the limitations of a handicap, there is mercy. 

When we're hurting and in physical pain, there is mercy. 

All these earthly struggles that occur are no accident. God is in the midst of them, working out His sovereign will. 

Yes, it's a mystery, which means we need special mercy to endure the anguish and misery of the pain.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.