Living Free預覽

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that through your Son I have peace with you and have been given access by faith into your amazing grace. Thank you that because you love me so deeply, I can trust you with my life. Even when I am experiencing pain and suffering, I can have confidence in your goodness and mercy. Use this time to show me more of your love and increase my faith in you. Open my eyes to see more of your goodness. Teach me what it means to rejoice and glory in my sufferings as Jesus did. I love you!

Purpose in the Pain

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings…”

To “glory” means to “take great pride or pleasure in.” Admittedly, we hate pain, and pretty much avoid it at all cost. For most people, claiming to “glory” in our sufferings would be a stretch. This is not an easy thing to do, and it probably doesn’t come easy for you either. We were not created for pain and suffering. But this is a broken world, and pain comes to all of us in one way or another. 

Most of us would never choose to walk through the suffering we’ve experienced again—however, God has a way of showing us new depths of His goodness and faithfulness, not in spite of our suffering, but because of our suffering. It is in the midst of our dark and broken places when we are often given the privilege of seeing him meet our most desperate needs. It’s in those places where we can more clearly see God’s love persevere, know more of his character, and see him breathe hope into seemingly hopeless circumstances. 

Pain and suffering are universal. We all know what it is to hurt. But praise God that in his kindness, he didn’t run from the suffering of this world. He entered into it all, by sending his Son into death itself, so that he could defeat death. Therefore, we can have hope! Suffering is NEVER the end of the story because of what Jesus accomplished. 

Praise God that we don’t have some flimsy or feel-good version of hope. We have a hope that is grounded in an empty grave. Death doesn’t have the final word. We can “glory” in our suffering because we know that suffering is never the end, and we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside us! What a joy! 

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. What are some ways you find yourself avoiding/escaping pain and suffering? 
2. What would it practically look like for you to “glory” and rejoice in your sufferings instead?

What’s Next? 

1. Think of someone in your life who is currently going through a difficult time. Pray and ask God how you can encourage them in their suffering. Take time this week to reach out and help them.