As promised in our last post, I want to share with you seven
more reasons that God not only allows suffering, but why he has graciously
given suffering to us as a gift. This is certainly not the type of gift that we
would naturally desire, yet it is sometimes the best gift that we could
receive.
There certainly is nothing new in this post that most of us
have not already considered or experienced. It is good as Peter said:
“…I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know
them and are established in the truth that you have, I think it right, as; as
long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder…I will make every
effort so that…you may be able at any time to recall these things.” (II
Peter 1:12-15 ESV)
Once again let me
say that the following reasons are not original with me. They are taken from
notes of sermons I have heard, from research in sermons and series I have both
preached and taught. These suggestions come from various pastors, authors,
books, and even from internet articles. I give the ultimate credit to God for
His glory and truly give credit to the many pastors, authors, bible teachers
who have over the years added these viable hints of why our glorious, loving,
omnipotent, and merciful God allows us to experience the most physical,
emotional and spiritual pain possible.
We are called to and
given the gracious gift of suffering in order….
To Be Humbled by God
II Corinthians 12:7.
Periodically we forget just who we really are. We are
warned not to think more highly of ourselves than we should but we forget. God
often uses trials or tribulations to remind us that we are always to be
dependent upon Him. Trials show us that we really are fragile vessels in need
of God’s grace and care. Pride is a terrible thing and the Word tells us that
God hates it. If necessary God will allow suffering in our lives to “snap us
back to reality.”
To Demonstrate that that
God's Grace is all we need
II Corinthians 12:9, II Timothy 4:20.
The most difficult type of suffering or trial is when we
are walking with God and there seems to be no reason for our suffering. You
know what I mean, we have “checked” ourselves carefully, we are not being
disciplined for sin, or we haven’t done something foolish with consequences, or
we went through these fourteen reasons and haven’t found the right one.
There are times God just wants to show us how sufficient
He really is. There are times God is simply saying, "Trust Me, I will meet
your needs; My grace is sufficient for you." This is difficult to understand
because we feel that all suffering needs to be explained. We don’t like to
think that our God whom we perceive to be loving and kind would allow something
such as pain to enter our lives simply to show us how sufficient He is, yet it
is possible.
To Purifies us
I Peter 4:1-3, Job 23:10.
Just like Silver or Gold we as God’s children posses
dross or impurities. We are mixed with the residue of sin and behavior from the
vestiges of the old nature that was crucified yet remains. Just like Silver or
God which requires extreme temperatures to melt its properties in order to
remove the impurities, God turns up the heat on each one of His children in
order to do the same.
To bring glory to God
John 9:1-3; 11:3-6,
9:1-3, Job 13:15
I admit that this reason is the most difficult for me to
grasp. There is no doubt that God is worthy of all glory and glory derived from
anything source. This suffering allows the character and nature of God to be
reflected or displayed in our lives through pain and suffering.
The most amazing story to me is found in John 9. Jesus and
the disciples encounter a man who had been born blind. In keeping with the
“philosophy” of their day, they asked the question, “Who sinned that this man
was born blind? Was it him or was it his parents?” Jesus told them that neither
the man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind to display the works of God.
Can you imagine what must have gone through the man’s mind
as he heard Jesus reply? I can – “You mean I have never seen my parents face, a
sunrise or sunset, a flower, colors, or the rain cascading down on a grassy
hillside just so God could display his work?”
It seems so strange that our suffering brings glory to God. Suffering
allows us to display the magnificent character of God in our lives for others
to see and to desire.
To Drive us to greater
depths in His Word
Psalms 119:71, Colossians 3:16.
Suffering certainly can drive us to God’s Word. We are
driven to it to look for comfort, help, and even answers. We can get sloppy
about our devotion to Scripture and its place in our lives for spiritual
growth.
I remember once when the trial of unemployment overtook
me in 2001. After the first day of shock and surprise, I was driven to James in
order to learn more about trials in chapter one. However, it was a great
reminder that I had been ignoring God’s word for quite some time. That trial
and others have caused me to pay more attention to God’s Word.
Let me add, you cannot make a deal with God. Being driven
to the Word, giving it great attention, or spending time in it will not end the
trial or suffering nor will it insulate you from future suffering. Suffering
drives us to the Word in order to draw us closer to God and to facilitate
growth.
To Demonstrate that
Suffering or Trials are God’s Prerogative
I Peter 4:19, Acts
9:16, John 16:33, II Corinthians 12:8-9, Isaiah 55:8-9, 30:20.
God is absolutely sovereign. This is a concept that the human
heart unaided by God absolutely hates. Apart from God’s grace we hate to admit
that God is in control. There is no doubt that Scripture teaches that His ways
are different and higher than our ways.
It may be painful and even unexplainable but we are not in
charge. Our Sovereign God--who controls all things and knows all things--has determined
that for our good and His glory we shall suffer.
To Maintain our thoughts On Spiritual
things
Romans 8:22-23; Colossians 3:1-2; II Corinthians 4:17,
Hebrews 11:32-40
We are not citizens of this world. We are only passing
through as pilgrims or sojourners. It is our responsibility and privilege to
continually be looking forward and upward. We face the problem of growing weary
of the journey and becoming enamored with this present world. God will bring
suffering into our lives in order to wake us from the stupor of placing our
affections on things in this world and to remind us that our affections are to
be on spiritual things.
Suffering causes us to be reminded of spiritual priorities.
This life is so short; here today and gone tomorrow and nothing in it will
last. There is no spiritual or eternal value in this world other than the
opportunity of magnifying the glory of God’s marvelous character. Suffering
gives us perspective by reminding us to maintain our thoughts, hopes, and
expectations on spiritual things rather than temporal.
1 comment:
Another great part of your series Gregg,
Yvonne.
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