It is good for you…

Suffering appears in many different forms.  As many different lives as there are, so there are that many different kinds and degrees of suffering.  One thing we might be assured of, however.  Every person will experience some measure of suffering in life.  For the believer, the suffering is an examination to see if he will trust God and suffer well.

Suffering well does not come with ease.

But suffering well does begin with a renewed mind — a transformed thought life that considers God’s ends in our suffering.  And thus considered, suffering is for our good.

Steve Lawson, in his sermon “The Invisible War” at the recent Shepherds’ Conference, spoke of the difficulty he faced at a church while preparing to write a commentary on the book of Job (he was ultimately forced to leave the church).  The lessons he learned through the life of Job are applicable to our own version of suffering.  He said this:

I thought, “how wise of God, if I am to write a commentary on Job, that I must sit in the ashes with Job and to hurt with Job and to cry with Job.”

How wise of God it is for Him to bring adversity in your life.  And trials.  And storms.  And lightning flashes.  And dark nights of the soul.  And difficulty in ministry.  And antagonistic elders.  And rebellious deacons.  And unconverted church members.  And shrinking church budgets.

How wise of God to bring all of these storms of affliction so that you and I will be broken vessels.  So that we would walk with a limp.  So that we would identify with hurting people that we serve.  So that we would be weaned off of this world.  So that we would minister with an eternal perspective.  So that our faith would grow stronger.  So that we would be more humble.  So that we would be more Christlike.  His ways are not our ways.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are His ways beyond our ways.

It was George Whitfield who said, “Happy when we can look back and say, ‘Thus I have been enabled to glorify God in the fire.  Happy you who have got into Christ’s fire, happy you who have found His fire in your soul.'”…May you and I glorify God in the midst of our suffering and trials as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ in this world.