Dear Jeff,
Welcome back to the forum. I’m very sorry about all of these terrible trials that you’re having to endure, and will be sure to keep you in my prayers as you search for God’s will in your life.
The only thing that I can add to all of the wonderful, helpful, and inspiring comments and verses that you’ve already received is a few verses, the first group of which show (as Ray pointed out so many times) that ALL (including evil and difficult experiences such as those you’re going through) is of God, and the second of which show that EVERYTHING (including Christ’s sacrifice for all of us) was planned by God “before the foundation of the world.” I realize that, as Dennis and others on the forum (I’m sure) have pointed out, when we’re having these experiences, it’s so difficult to really internalize these verses into our hearts and minds, but hopefully reading them might help you to realize to some extent the grandeur of God’s plan for all of us and how insignificant the “sufferings of this present time” are by comparison.
Your brother in Christ,
Randy
First set of verses:
Romans 11:36, AKJV
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
I Corinthians 8:6, AKJV
6 but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
I Corinthians 11:12, AKJV
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
II Corinthians 5:18, AKJV
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Ephesians 1:11, AKJV
11 in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Hebrews 2:10-11, AKJV
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Second set of verses:
Ephesians 1:3-4, AKJV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
I Peter 1:18-20, AKJV
18 forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Revelation 13:8, AKJV
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.