Two Gardens and Sufferingنموونە

The Garden of Gethsemane and the cross remind me of His care. Both gardens help me see suffering a little differently. I must somehow fit together in my mind the reality of my suffering with the truth that He loves me. My suffering is real. So is His love. He loves me. All of this helps prepare my heart for when suffering chooses me.

The words of this simple children’s song ring in my heart and cover me when I hurt the most: “Yes, Jesus loves me . . . for the Bible tells me so!”

A good friend tells me that when she was growing up in Kansas they would often be struck by tornadoes that swooped down from Topeka to Kansas City. This area was known as Tornado Alley, and they were the worst at nighttime. When the tornado alarms went off, her mother would hurry around unplugging every electrical device in the house. She would turn all the lights out. They would sit perfectly still in their living room while the storm passed overhead, because her mother said, “Be still . . . listen . . . God is speaking.” In the storm, God was speaking. When we suffer, it’s a lot like that. Sometimes we just have to be still and hear what God is saying. There’s a lot of suffering going on in our country right now. We’re in the midst of a dark, dark storm of a pandemic, and racial strife. People are hurting. We’ve already had to unplug from a lot of our usual activities. Many of us have sheltered in place. God has caused us to be still. God is speaking. Let’s be still. Let’s listen for His still, small voice.

God’s love is not content to leave us in our weakness, and for this reason, he takes us into a dark night. He weans us from all of the pleasures by giving us dry times and inward darkness. . . . No soul will ever grow deep in the spiritual life unless God works passively in that soul by means of the dark night.

We hope you have enjoyed this plan in the John M. Perkins Devotional Series. In 1970, Dr. Perkins was tortured at the hands of the Mississippi police for his leadership in the voting rights movement. His radical forgiveness and tireless pursuit of biblical justice set him on a course where he would counsel six American Presidents, receive 16 honorary doctorates and bring healing to broken communities around the world. His life is a masterclass on purpose, friendship, and joyful endurance. At 91, he wants to pass the baton to the next generation and has created a six-part masterclass to help you discover your God-given purpose in life. To sign up for the free masterclass, visit johnmperkins.com.