Tag Archives: suffering

Jesus’ Answer For The “Why’s” of Life

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A godly man suffers with ALS. A teenager who loves the Lord loses her battle with cancer. A baby is born with his stomach outside his body. A godly woman buries her 22 year old son who died in an auto accident. ISIS murders hundreds of people who name the name of Jesus.

Jesus met a man born blind. His disciples asked him: Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

John 9:3 says, “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.‘”

Sometimes we dig way too deep to find the answer to the “why’s” of life. Is there some special purpose for suffering? There certainly is! And here it is:

So Jesus can be revealed to a lost world.

Everything – E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G – that happens in this life happens for that reason. Your best day reveals God’s blessings. Your struggles reveal his strength. Your mourning reveals his comfort. Your changed life reveals his grace.

Next time you are tempted to ask, Why is this happening to me?, read John 9:3 again. The question you should be asking is, What is it about Jesus that is being revealed through this circumstance I am facing?

Dear God, thank you for being intimately interested in everything that happens to us in this life. You are ever present, all knowing, sovereign. Forgive us when we concentrate so much on the day-to-day that we lose sight of your perfect plan. May your children, in all walks of life, in all circumstances, be faithful to reveal YOU as you would have us do. Help us to remember that this life is about You, and your passion is that every man, woman, and child will come to know you as Savior and Lord. Help us to look at our circumstances as opportunities to share you with those who are lost without you.

As Long As It Takes

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If you read the book of Lamentations you will feel the anguish over the state of things in Israel due to their disobedience. In fact, throughout the Old Testament you will often hear the Jews crying out to God: How long will you continue to forget us?

And often you will hear God’s reply: As long as it takes.

God doesn’t delight in punishing his people. He created us to fellowship with him, to love and obey him. And because he created us with the ability to choose or reject him, he drew a line in the sand. We call the condensed version of this line The Ten Commandments. There needs to be no guessing concerning the requirements for having a blessed relationship with him:

Worship me only. Love me above all else, Obey my instructions how to treat people, how to conduct business, what to believe. And for we who live after the cross: accept my Son as your Savior.

Sure it’s a tough list of rules. In fact, an impossible list to achieve for us humans. Yet God’s requirements don’t change. Here’s the line in the sand. Cross it and enjoy a forgiven life under grace. Stay where you are and accept the consequence.

Be assured. God won’t just let you stay on that side without doing everything he can to get you to come over to his side. You may even find yourself asking, “Why, God? How long are you going to cause me pain?”

AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

If I were you…

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Have you ever given or been given advice that begins with, “If I were you…”? How was that advice received? The thing is, grief, anxiety, worry, suffering, whatever the problem – it is personal. I can try to put myself in your shoes but my frame of reference is me. The only way I can really know what you are going through is to become you. Me in your shoes is still me.

Does that mean we should never give advice? Honestly, unless the hurting person asks for advice that is exactly what I’m saying. But even when asked, we shouldn’t assume anything. We should not assume we know how that person feels or know what they are going through. We should not assume we know why that dear one is suffering. Even if you have experienced similar circumstances you cannot know how they are feeling. You can only know how you felt in your experience.

I am reading the book of Job, a book filled with all kinds of bad advice from friends who really did mean well. But Eliphaz, in Job 5:8, actually does give what I consider some good advice for all of us. He told Job to take it to God. You see, God is the only one who really knows what you are going through. He knows how you feel because he reaches into your deepest, darkest places where no one but you can go. 

I guess I would say if you are going through something, go ahead and listen to the advice given by well-meaning friends. You might hear something useful amid all the garbage. But listen with a filter. Then take your problem, maybe even the advice, to God and see what he thinks. Read God’s Word with an open heart. Pray. Thank God for his love even if you feel unloved. Praise him for his blessings even if it’s hard to do. Lay your requests at his feet, then trust him to take care of you.

God promises to give us all we need and he is true to his Word.

 

November 13

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Acts 5:17-7:53

When God was on the fast track to establish his Church some pretty amazing things occurred. When the Holy Spirit came he came in flames! Ordinary people suddenly were able to speak languages they had never studied and preached the Gospel so that foreigners could understand. People were healed if they walked over Peter’s shadow. And many people found Christ because of it.

Peter and John found themselves in prison for preaching about Jesus. But God wasn’t about to let their voices be silenced. So he picked them up right out of that cell and transplanted them in the middle of town. What must that have been like for the apostles? Better than any Disney ride, I’m sure!

With all this going on, Satan was frantically trying to stop it. He influenced many people who wanted Peter and John dead. He even convinced them they were doing what God wanted by putting an end to this Jesus movement. So they thought they’d teach Peter and John a lesson, scare them into stopping their ministry. They bound the apostles and flogged them. They beat them, tearing into their flesh, causing painful cuts. And you know how the apostles responded? Read Acts 5:41-42. They rejoiced because God had found them worthy to suffer for Jesus’ sake. And they continued to preach the Gospel every day.

Nobody likes to suffer. We get angry if we are treated unfairly, pout if our feelings are hurt, and want to get even with those who wrong us. Just yesterday a young friend of mine was in a car accident. He was driving home from college when someone ran a stop sign and plowed into the side of my friend’s car. And to make matters worse, the person who hit him fled the scene. My friend was stunned. He was shaken and angry. Why me, he asked? He was following the rules and where did that get him? Bad things always happen to me, he cried.

His older sister said something that fits into what we read today here in Acts. She lovingly told him, “It happened because you are a CHOSEN ONE.” She went on to tell him that trials are a test of our faith and a chance to show Christ to others. And I think that’s what Peter and John would say to him, too. As followers of Christ we have a target on our backs. Satan wants to stop us at all costs. But God can turn any situation around and use it to glorify himself through us. 

Are you going through a storm? Are you being treated unfairly because you are a Christian? Rejoice! You are a chosen one to reveal Christ to someone who needs him. God trusts you with this trial. And he is able to see you through to the very end.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for my young friend. Continue to work in his life, strengthen his relationship with you, and help him to be a testimony of what a Godly man looks like when faced with hardship. Draw someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus through this situation. And I pray for all of us who are facing Satan’s attacks. May we represent you well. May we trust you with it all. And may we rejoice for the opportunity to suffer for the name of our dear Savior.

November 7

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Mark 15:6-21; Luke 23:13-32; John 18:39-19:17a; Matthew 27:27-32

What they did to Jesus that day is unimaginable. The taunts, the beatings, the humiliation are magnified in the light of his complete innocence.

He could have called 10,000 angels or turned his tormenters into vapor. But he stood there and took every blow because he loved me and knew I would accept his forgiveness 2,000 years later.

I hope you read these passages today in God’s word. Nothing I can say can bring justice to what is written there already. Jesus suffered for me. He suffered for you.

How can I help but love him when he loved me so?

Jesus, as I read these words this morning I am reminded what it cost you to provide salvation for all people everywhere. You paid what we cannot so that we can stand before the Father, faultless, cleansed, pure and holy as you are. I am sorry for every drop of blood you had to shed because of my sin. Forgive me for selfishness, jealousy, laziness, an unrepentant heart, disobedience, unbelief. Cleanse me today,Lord. I don’t want what you went through for me to have been in vain.

September 2

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Daniel 4:1-37, 7:1-28; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34

Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind. Literally. He found himself living in the wilds like an animal. He was a king who had it all according to the world’s standards. But all that didn’t prevent him from suffering.

Later, after the king regained his sanity and his throne he wrote a letter to the people about his experience. And do you know what he said about those dark days? Daniel 4:2&3 says:

It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed FOR me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.”

Do you believe that even your darkest hours, your hardest challenges, your toughest circumstances are opportunities for God to do something FOR you? I have shared that in 2012 we lost two very dear men in our family. It’s been almost a year since my dad went to live with the Lord. At 87 and in poor health he was ready to go and that helped us to let him go a little easier. But the hole he left in our family is still there and I miss him.

But I’ve also shared that we lost my 22 year old nephew in an auto accident. One minute he was with us, loving us, making us laugh. The next he was gone. His death has been and continues to be a source of great sadness for me and my family.

There have been many dark days since that June Sunday. And in many ways Geoff’s loss is still fresh. Can I honestly say that it’s a pleasure to tell you about it? Can I look at our situation and share what God has done FOR us through this?

I’m getting there.

I have seen God’s hand obviously working in our lives this past year. I’ve seen my sister, a grieving mother, reach out to help others in Jesus’ name. We have praised God for the privilege of knowing Geoff for 22 amazing years and look forward to seeing him again one day because he knew the Lord as his Savior. That confidence helps us get out of bed every day.

I’ve learned things about myself this past year. I’ve learned my faith is as strong as I had hoped it would be. I’ve learned that God is true to his Word and provides strength when we have none of our own. I know first hand that, although it takes time, joy returns to those who mourn and it’s ok.

Now I can honestly say that as grateful as I am for the lessons I’ve learned through Dad and Geoff’s deaths, I wish I could have learned them and still held on to those two. I wish Geoff would walk through that door and tell me I passed the test so we could get back to life. I mean, Nebuchadnezzar got his kingdom back, didn’t he?

I don’t know what valley you are going through. And I don’t know the extent of your pain. But I know mine. And I can tell you that God is able to carry you through the worst situations because he’s carrying me through mine. 

I may not be quite at the point where I can say it’s a pleasure to tell you about Geoff. But I can say without hesitation that it is a pleasure to tell you about my Savior, my source of strength, my joy. It’s Jesus. Simply put. It’s Jesus.

Nebuchadnezzar reminds us that God’s kingdom is eternal, his dominion endures. This life is so short compared to eternity. My prayer for you is that, if you are going through a difficult situation you won’t waste time blaming God or being angry at him because things aren’t fair. My prayer is that you will trust him. That you will allow him to do something FOR you in the midst of the pain. 

He will, you know. Draw close to God and he promises to draw close to you. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

 

July 9

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2 Kings 18:13-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23

Sennacherib found out the God of the Bible is not like other gods after all. He tried to bully Hezekiah and the Jewish people into joining him, bragging how powerful he was and how many nations he had destroyed. But Hezekiah prayed and God encouraged him to stand strong. 

In the end, the Assyrians were defeated, destroyed by God, and the Jews didn’t have to lift a finger.

As I read these chapters today I was reminded that there are Sennacheribs yet today. There are people who would bully Christians to come over to their side. Christians are called terrorists by our own government. We are called haters by the media when we voice the truth about homosexuality or adultery or greed. Christians are made fun of if we don’t party, if we don’t go to a ball game played during church on Sunday.

Let’s face it. Taking a stand for Jesus isn’t as easy as it used to be here in the good old USA.

But let’s be encouraged today by Hezekiah’s story. He laid it all out before the Lord in prayer. Then with confidence, Hezekiah told the people to be strong and courageous. There is a greater power with us, he reminded them, than with the enemy. We have God on our side and no one… not Satan himself… can stand against him.

My  prayer for us today is that we will all stand strong. May we stand for the truth in love. May we not back down because someone who seems to have power threatens us. Whether it be a government official, a boss, or a neighbor, let’s not allow ourselves to be bullied. Remember, God is greater than anything Satan can throw at us.

I wish I could promise an outcome like the Jews experienced in Hezekiah’s time. They got their victory before they had to go to battle. But standing strong could mean being willing to suffer for the Name. It’s true in some parts of our world and we can’t assume it can’t happen to us.

Be encouraged. Be strong. Remember that as a believer in the Lord Jesus, you have the God of creation on your side. Don’t let anyone bully you out of holding on to him, on holding on to the Truth of Scripture.

July 6

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2 Chronicles 31:2-21; Isaiah 18:1-21:17

I wonder what the Jews thought when they heard that Egyptians and Assyrians would worship God, that he would accept them as his own and bless them for their obedience. I can’t think it made them happy.

But as a non-Jew, it makes me happy. God, through the prophet Isaiah, is laying the groundwork for the church. Egyptians and Assyrians, non-Jews, will worship God together. They will make vows to God and keep them. God will protect them and call them his people right along with Jewish believers. No longer a matter of circumcision, but a matter of acknowledging God.

I thank God for his church today. For Jewish believers, American believers, German, Chinese, Iraqi, Russian believers. And I am burdened for those saints in countries where their lives are threatened because of their belief.

We in America don’t know what many Christians around the world know. It’s easy for us to sit in our comfortable pews and forget that there are brothers and sisters who live in real danger today, who suffer unspeakable torture for the Name. And our news agencies have made it easy for us to ignore it by their lack of coverage.

Let’s pray for the worldwide church. Let’s ask God what he would have us do on behalf of those believers who have no voice in their countries. Isaiah tells us Christianity is no longer just a Jewish religion and it is certainly not just an American religion. May we have a heart for our brothers and sisters all over the world.

God, I thank you that your kingdom is spiritual, that I don’t have to have Jewish blood in my veins to be your child. I thank you for Jesus whom you sent to save the world. Forgive us if we live in this little bubble and enjoy our freedom in the USA without remembering there are millions of your people in this world today who don’t have what we have, who fear for their lives because of their decision to follow you. Have mercy, Father. What would you have us do, Lord? May you find us faithful. May you find us willing to obey.