07 Jul Lessons in Suffering
Have you been beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, gone hungry, or been attacked by bandits? Odds are that none of us have suffered like this for our faith. Yet, Paul endured these things and more for the Lord’s sake. While our sufferings may not look like physical shackles around our ankles in a jail cell or seeking safety from our own people, it is certain that we will face trials because of our faith.
The afflictions will come as you and I endure name calling, ignore insults, and choose to distance ourselves from things that don’t honor Christ. However, as Paul proves over and over again throughout the course of his life, it is possible to rejoice in the midst of suffering.
Many of Paul’s letters and writings mention enduring hardships now in order to receive a future glory. In Romans 8:18 he says, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.” Paul is presenting us with two certainties and the conclusion which stems from them. First, the present is tainted with sufferings due to the fall of man. Second, the future will be marked by glory for believers as God fulfills His promises to us. The conclusion: when we fix our eyes on the future promised glory, we are capable of enduring our current trials with determination and courage.
Paul communicates the same thought in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 saying, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
God allows hardships, persecutions, and sufferings in our life to advance our spiritual growth. In this world we are called to bear suffering patiently and see it through to God’s ultimate purpose. Only then will we begin to see suffering as beneficial. This doesn’t necessarily make life’s difficulties any easier, only worth it. When I am in the midst of hardship, I don’t immediately assume that it is for my benefit. Yet, I am promised that though I will experience suffering in this life, nothing can compare to the joy that is found in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s early life was full of religious zeal, brutal violence, and persistent persecution of the early church. However, later in life Paul lived for Christ and faced more hardships than you and I could imagine. Even still, Paul was confident that all his sufferings could not outweigh the love that Christ had for him.
“Suffering yields fresh joy, produces true humility, and is a vital part of our sanctification.”
Many times, we fall prey to the belief that God has allowed suffering or hardships as some form of cruel punishment, when in reality, quite the opposite is true. Suffering yields fresh joy, produces true humility, and is a vital part of our sanctification. Why is there a need for humility in the midst of a trial? Because at the heart of apprehension and worry is the prideful perception that we can handle things on our own. We have a sinful inclination to lift ourselves up and to pull the Lord down.
In “Subjected to Futility in Hope,” part 1, on DesiringGod.org, John Piper conveys that if you believe the trials of this world are uncalled-for, you fail to grasp the infinite holiness of God or His utter hatred toward sin. Nevertheless, Piper adds, “But in fact, the point of our miseries, our futility, our corruption, our groaning is to teach us the horror of sin. And the preciousness of redemption and hope.”
We need to fight to think Biblically about suffering in order that we might grow through through our trials rather than be destroyed by them. Let’s commit to carefully view our earthly hardships through the lenses of Biblical truth so that we may see the joy in our sufferings and not become devastated by our trials. Each day, may we live in a way that brings honor to the Lord, no matter what we might face; and, bear our cross as we wait for the crown.
-Hannah Smith, Powdersville Campus