Tag: suffering

Suffering Comes

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

From YouVersion Bible App, “The God Who is Faithful, Day 5”

Suffering with Purpose

Paul understood the reality of suffering as well as anyone. His troubles extended to the point that he “despaired of life itself” (v. 8). But Paul recognized that just as believers share in the sufferings of Christ, “comfort abounds through Christ” (v. 5). Knowing this, Paul found joy in his own sufferings and encouraged the believers in Corinth to do the same. Further, Paul recognized that Christ comforts believers in their sufferings so that they, in turn, can bring comfort to others. Paul used his own times of suffering as opportunities to bless those around him. Even when all seemed lost, Paul knew that his suffering occurred so that he would learn to rely less on himself and more fully on God. Having seen Christ work in his own trials in the past, Paul had even greater confidence that God would continue to deliver him so that he might, in turn, continue to minister to the young church.

Just as Paul did, believers today can view struggles and suffering as opportunities to bless those around them. Just as he did not abandon Paul, Jesus will be faithful to his people in all circumstances.

Today’s Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for the growing pains I’ve experienced. Please use me and the experiences from my past to help others. Amen.

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you, but I am not one of those people who say about suffering: “Yes, please sign me up because I know God will be with me.” I am, however, realistic about the fact that we all suffer, to different degrees and at different times, and when we do, God is always there. I do not believe that all suffering happens to teach us a lesson. But I do believe that we can ask God to help us learn from what we go through so that we can help others who go through similar circumstances. I consider myself a realist. We live in the world. It is broken, and as a result of the sin that broke it, we are all suffering until Christ comes again. But we don’t have to suffer with bitterness or anger or even in vain. I truly believe that if we have to suffer, we should sincerely have our eyes open to the opportunities that God will give us to help others later. The One who suffered the most can relate to each of us in our pain and help us through. Then, we in turn, can help others.

God’s Wisdom

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/31835/day/2

We all know that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. And like the little child who is told to do something they don’t want to do, the ultimate question is, “But why?” God knows the answers, has a plan and is working things out to fulfill His purpose. That truth does not always satisfy my quest to know but it is the truth so I will stand on it. Satan wants to destroy us, God uses Satan’s plans for His glory. We may not like it, but that is how it is. Like the toddler put into bed kicking and screaming because they claim that they are not tired yet, we must inevitably accept that God knows best, lie down and get some rest in the middle of our temper tantrum against our authorities and know that God will watch over us and bring us through. He is a wise and all-knowing God…and we are neither of those.

When Not If

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture3 Comments

God’s Word is clear that we will have troubles in this life. Jesus even says so:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.””
‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.16.33.NLT

God does not lie and he says that we will have trials and sorrows. That hardly seems right, does it? We turn our hearts over to God and we still face trials. Pondering on this fact got me to thinking and reading Scriptures about the trials we face.

As a student of languages, I notice things like conjunctions. In this verse, “when” is a conjunction, drawing all of the thoughts of the verse together. I noticed right away that this verse does not use the conjunction “if.” If would be more comforting for me, implying that I may or may not pass through rivers (troubles), and I may or may not walk through fire. But God’s prophet Isaiah used the word when and that says just what it means. We will indeed walk through rivers, be overwhelmed by them (like we’re drowning in a sea of troubles) and we will walk through fire. But in order to get comfort from this verse, one has to read the entire verse carefully. Yes, troubles will come, but God will be with us. The waters will not be able to overwhelm us although they will indeed try to do so. Finally, when we walk through the fire, we won’t be burned by it or consumed within its flames. God’s promise is that even though we will have troubles, He will be with us and take care of us.

Why, then, do we have troubles and trials if God is going to take care of us in them? Why doesn’t He just take them away?

Every time we face a new trial, a new overwhelming problem, if you will, that gives God the opportunity to do a new thing in our lives. His ultimate purpose is to help us to be more like Him. He is the one who shows us the new pathway to take and gives us water to drink in the desert. We may not like where we are or the trials that we face, but we can trust God to bring us through to the other side and that we will learn from them and be more like Him once we overcome. God’s plan is not to make life easy for us, but instead He plans to use life’s lessons to make us more like Him, bearing the fruits of the Spirit and able to climb the next mountain more easily.

I am still studying the Book of Job in my devotional every day and a quotation from Tina Wilson’s book STEP INTO SCRIPTURE resonated with me this morning and made me think deeply about its meaning and its application in my life.

This quotation is from Day 9 of Tina Wilson’s devotional, STEP INTO SCRIPTURE. Think about it. If Job had not been found faithful, Satan may have left him alone and he would not have lost all that he had. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Once again, we have the dilemma of trusting God through the troubles or turning away from Him in bitterness and anger.

God has a plan and it’s a good one. We just have to trust Him to carry us through all of the troubles that it takes to get to the end of His plan for us. Ultimately, His love wins and so do we, if we persevere and don’t give up!