God does not punish or condemn for sin. He poured that out on Jesus at the cross. People feel like God is punishing them when situations allow their view of God to become clouded, this just cannot be true according to His word. God doesn’t use punishment after the death of Christ where His anger was poured out. Times of perceived punishment are a result of our sin and poor decisions. They are a result of us turning our back on glorification of God and God allowing us to feel the effects of seeking life outside of His light. Eventually a life that does not have God’s spirit, seeking God’s glory, will result in an eternity without God. This is a rightful description of hell, the counterpart to God’s kingdom in His presence. Hell is the fire of God’s judgement and the darkness that exists without God’s glory. God will judge in the end, He uses this time to draw His faithful to Him.

It’s God’s grace and mercy that allows us to reenter His light when we turn away in our fallenness and be reconciled to our Father. It’s through the sacrifice of Jesus that God doesn’t see our sinfulness, He sees His children. Don’t blame God when life gets too difficult. Turn to God in reliance, and praise Him for loving you enough to let your suffering turn you back to Him. He desires your heart and He loves you. Being separated from His light, even for a moment is enough punishment for those of true faith. He doesn’t need to lift a finger to draw true faith back to Him.