SUFFERING

2020 will go down in history as a year of suffering. But the truth is, suffering is a reality of the life we are promised as believers. It comes in all forms and in different levels of intensity. It comes sometimes from our own hands, sometimes from the hands of others, and sometimes for seemingly no reason at all. But live long enough, and it will come. The Bible teaches, “In this life, you will have trouble…”

So how do we accept adversity? Harder still, how do we move forward through it? 

We start by remembering that nothing is a surprise to God. We may not have seen suffering coming our way, but He did. Not only this, but He understands it on a level we will never experience. We are loved by a God who willingly chose to suffer for our salvation. Our suffering serves as a reminder of what He endured on the cross. 

We can choose to believe that what appears to be a setback to us might just be a setup for a greater work within His kingdom plan. The God who raised Christ from the dead is the same God who is at work in our lives today. His power lives within us, His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We can rest in Him, knowing He works all things together for good. 

And in time, we can allow the trials we face to refine the parts of us not like Him, to change our limited vision by giving us eyes to see His purpose in this season, and to encourage us to rely on His strength, producing in us endurance…

Thoughts & Questions for Journaling:

Think of one way God used a past trial to be a setup for something even greater.

Take a moment to reflect upon what He did for you on the cross…what that suffering led to.

Is there a difficult situation in your life right now? Ask Him to help you surrender it just for today, knowing you may have to ask again tomorrow. 

Prayer: 

Father, we know that You allow suffering into our lives. We know that it breaks Your heart even as it breaks ours. But we also know that You are good and You are faithful. Thank you that we can trust You, even when everything seems to be falling apart. Help us to keep our eyes on You, finding shelter in You alone. And as You use our suffering to make us more like You, may we never forget that You suffered the ultimate punishment for us, but that out of your suffering came the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.