SUFFERING WITH A PURPOSE

 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."

2 Corinthians 1:3-6

 

During my years as a pastor and counselor, I had many people come to my office for guidance, help, and prayer. The struggles people faced were familiar. They faced problems at work, home, and even in the church. Many good people (at least in their own eyes) faced suffering on every front. Suffering they did not deserve.

            The Church of the twenty-first century often prayers for the blessings of the first century Church. We want to see the power of God on full display. We desire miracles in our services, the infilling of the Holy Spirit like a rushing wind. Some seek to pray until the earth shakes beneath their feet. Today's Church seeks God to open the eyes of the blind, for the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dead to be brought back to life. We cannot figure out why we don't see this happening.

            Have we thought that maybe God has heard our prayer to be more like His church, and He is answering it? That the suffering we face, not just in our personal lives but in our society as a whole, is to make us more like Him. As Paul said in his letter to the church in Colossae, "Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church." (Colossians 1:24) We become more like Christ from our sufferings than we do by our blessings.

            The Church of today has become a group of whiners. We cry and feel mistreated if someone calls us names, tries to silence us in a meeting, or restricts us in the workplace. While we feel mistreated, we have brothers and sisters worldwide who are killed for their faith. They are cast out of their homes to starve in the streets. They are forced to watch their children abused and murdered in front of them. All the while, we beg God to get us out of an unpleasant marriage or to heal our aches and pains.

            I do not believe we must feel guilty for our blessings while others suffer. I believe that it is time to change our attitude toward suffering. We need to be aware and comfort them with what we have been comforted with. Allow God to use the difficult times in your life to teach you and draw you closer to Him.

            The great reformer Martin Luther (1453-1546) said, "Affiction is the best book in my library." It was the affection that was his teacher, as it is with us. Look through Scripture, and you will find that the blessings of suffering are evident. Yes, the blessings show us the way to an intimacy with Christ that we would otherwise miss. Christ has taught me more from my sufferings than all the miracle services I have ever attended.

 

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website: www.growthcenter.net.    © 2022 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this material may be reprinted or published without the author's written permission.