Real Hope: SufferingSample

Types Of Suffering

A Christian may face different types of suffering.

God may test you to build up resilience in order to serve Him later – like an athlete building strength. The secret of staying the course is focusing on the goal. In Matthew 5:11, Jesus says we are blessed when people insult and persecute us because of Him. However, we have to resist the temptation to retaliate. I’ve learned to check first if I was right or wrong on the issue, and then pray, ‘Lord, I forgive them and put them into your hands.’ If warranted, I would say, ‘You’re welcome to your opinion, but this is my stand of conscience.’

If you’ve done something wrong, apologise. Most people appreciate a sincere apology and an offer to make things right. The key is to follow it through. That demonstrates that you are a true follower of Christ.

However, suffering can result from wrong decisions. As a young businessman, I commenced a business plan that looked perfect, but I felt a check inside that, looking back, was from God. Things disintegrated through various circumstances, and, through the resulting hardship, the toughest thing was seeing my family go without because of my mistake. After this ‘disobedience’, although I knew God had forgiven me, I felt, despite God’s call on my life, God couldn’t trust me with the responsibility of public ministry. Then after three years, everything turned, and I learnt a wonderful thing – God’s discipline is only for a time. What I endured built steel into me, and I’d never make the same mistake again. And God’s call to this ministry I’ve conducted for 50 years materialised in supernatural, unmistakable ways.

Written by DAVID SMETHURST