A biblical perspective on human suffering

Yesterday I found myself sitting in church by myself and a guest preacher was there to preach. Now I understand some of the angst laymen sense when they come to church hoping for a word from their pastor and he has someone else scheduled to speak. Nevertheless, this was one of those divine appointments where the Lord had me right where He wanted me so He could speak to me. The message was about a biblical perspective of suffering. If you are looking for a sweet little piece of prose where you do not have to think and can feel good when you are done reading, this is probably not the post for you. However, if you or someone you know is suffering, and you would like a word from thee Word, then read on.

Some verses in the bible are offensive! If you are living with sin, the bible is truth and it will confront and convict over sin and to the unrepentant sinner that is offensive. However, it offends other times as well. James 1:2 is one such verse, a verse that taken at face value offends the rational mind. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” Joy is defined as “A felling of great pleasure and happiness.” I am confident that few reading this find “great pleasure and happiness” in the trials of life. So what does the bible say regarding suffering? Let’s consider a few of scriptures examples.

2 Corinthians – The apostle Paul penned this and many others books of the New Testament. He was the world’s greatest church planter ever and certainly had a strong walk with God. Yet in chapter 11, he gives detail to all the suffering he had endured: multiple lashings, stonings, shipwrecks, and being robbed. Yet all of this seems to pale in comparison to some other unnamed struggle the great apostle faced. In chapter 12 verses 7-9, Paul speaks of a “thorn in the flesh” that he prayed 3x that God would remove. God’s sole response was that His grace is sufficient. While the word “No” does not appear in the text, it is clear that “no” was God’s answer to Paul.

Luke 22 – At the Last Supper, Peter tells the Lord that he is ready and willing to follow Him to both prison and death. Jesus responds by telling Peter of his coming betrayal and denial, three times, before the next day’s dawn. However, it is Jesus’ words to Peter in Luke 22:31-32 that are worth noting here. Jesus tells Peter, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” The bible does not tell us what equates to a person being “sifted as wheat”, but it certainly does not sound pleasurable. This reminds me of Job 1 where there is a dialog between Satan and God, and God asks the devil is he “has considered my servant Job.” Satan asks for and is granted permission to bring suffering into Job’s life … and he does in great measure. Notice in Luke 22 Jesus does not say that He denied Satan the chance to sift Peter. Instead, He states that He has prayed for Peter. Again, human suffering is allowed inside the sovereign will of God.

Matthew 26 – In verses 36-ff we read the account of Jesus and the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John a little further into the Garden then the others and asks them to watch and pray with Him. He then goes further into the Garden and prays to the Father. “O Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” God the Son, facing the human cruelty about to take place ultimately ending in the crucifixion, prays to God the Father, and asks if there is another way, outside of the suffering of the cross, to accomplish God’s will. He then goes back, finds the disciples sleeping, wakes them up, and chastises them for sleeping instead of praying. The same exact scenario plays out again with Jesus again asking the Father if there is another way where He would not have to endure the suffering He was about to face. Then He finds the disciples sleeping again, once again rebukes them, and then returns to pray Himself. Verse 44 says, “He prayed the third time, saying the same words.” In Hebrews 5:7-8 we read words that I think, at least in part, refer to this Garden of Gethsemane and crucifixion period in Jesus’ life. We read, “… in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” This states that Jesus, with vehement cries and tears, prayed to the One who was able to stop the suffering but God did not say yes to these cries. The reason of course is that the cross was the only hope for man’s redemption.

There is this dynamic tension between the fact on one hand that God can deliver, yet on the other hand, in His sovereignty He allows suffering. Paul, the greatest church planter and biblical writer ever, asked three times for suffering to stop and God’s answer was no. God allowed Satan to sift Peter, the man God would use to preach Pentecost. Jesus, God the Son, prayed three times asking the Father, if it was possible, to remove the suffering He was about to face, and God the Father said no.

Back to James 1:2. So how exactly are we supposed to have joy when we find ourselves facing great trials and suffering? When you walk the road of suffering, you will likely not find out the reason why. However, what you will find there is Jesus, as He too has walked that road. Are you in a dark place right now? If so, trust the heart of a good God. Or, as I used to say as a pastor, “When you cannot see His hand, trust His heart.”

Things that today's kids will never know the joy of.

Thinking about my grandchildren today and some of the things that I did as a child, which they will never have the opportunity to do. I decided to make a list. Read my list and see if there are things you would add to it.

Technological Things

1. Looking up a friend in the phone book or a business in the yellow pages.
2. Use a rotary phone.
3. Listening to the dial-up sound as you wait to connect to the internet.
4. Not being able to get on the internet because your parent is waiting on an important phone call.
5. Use a rotary phone or payphone for that matter.
6. Not having caller-ID so having no idea who was calling you.
7. Spending hours creating the perfect “mix tape” to play in your room or car.
8. The frustration of having a phone cord that constantly is tangled.
9. Turning away from the scrolling tv channel guide momentarily only to have to wait until it goes full-circle again.
10. Having to rewind a movie before you return it.
11. Making prank calls and getting away with it because no one had caller ID.
12. Miscellaneous – knowing what a floppy disk is, how to read a paper edition tv guide, visiting a Blockbuster, sending text messages the old fashioned way by writing a note to someone in school, fax machines, card catalogs, roll up car windows, and playing Atari Pong.

Home Stuff

1. Green Stamps.
2. Hot rollers.
3. Having an Encyclopedia set.
4. Figuring out directions with a foldout map.
5. Listening to music while exercising but the CD keeps skipping.
6. Needing to mail your bills but you ran out of stamps.
7. Missing the last episode of your favorite tv show and having to wait until the summer reruns to find out what happened.
8. The sound of a real alarm clock.
9. Trying to get rich off beanie babies.
10. Rolodexes to store all your important phone numbers.
11. Having a beeper / pager.
12. Having a CD case to carry around your favorite music.

 Toys

1. Mattel Electronic Football (think Game Boy).
2. Stretch Armstrong.
3. Weebles – they wobble but they don’t fall down.
4. Playing 3 on 3 baseball and knowing what pitcher’s had, right field closed, and ghost runners meant. Or playing hopscotch.
5. Eating cake from an easy bake oven.
6. Lite Brite.
7. Magna Doodle’s.
8. Hot Wheel tracks with loop-to-loops.
9. Silly putty and using it to make copies off a newspaper.
10. Eight track boom box.
11. Viewmasters.
12. Putting cards in the spokes of your bicycle.

Food and Snacks

1. Hubba Bubba gum.
2. Reggie bars.
3. New Coke or maybe Tab.
4. Big Stuff Oreo’s.
5. Fiddle Faddle.
6. Betty Crocker’s Mug-O-Lunch.
7. Zucchini Bread.
8. Chicken A La King.
9. Chipped Beef on Toast.
10. Deviled Ham or potted meat.
11. Olive Loaf lunchmeat.
12. Tuna Noodle Casserole.

 What items am I missing? What categories am I missing?

Make "resolutions" that will change you for the rest of your life

“Resolve” – defined as coming to a definite or earnest decision; determine to do something. “Resolution” – defined as determining upon a course of action, method, procedure, etc.

Every year thousands (yours truly included) make New Year’s resolutions. A recent study by the University of Scranton found that 77% of us who made New Year’s resolutions “mostly or completely stuck to it” for at least one week. The same study stated, “Only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions will actually fulfill those goals in a timely fashion.”

The list of most common resolutions includes things like:

• Get in shape; lose weight; exercise more
• Spend less and save more
• Enjoy life to the fullest (I’m not sure how measurable this is since the line would always seem to be moving)
• Spend more time with friends and or family
• Get organized
• Learn something new
• Eat at home more
• Break an addiction to media be it a smart phone, table, computer or …
• Drink less and or stop smoking
• Travel
• Get more sleep

A man by the name of Leo Widrich published an article on www.buffer.com. He suggested there are physiological reasons few can actually keep their resolutions. But, what I found most helpful in his article was his “4 suggestions to help make a New Year’s resolution stick.” 

1. Pick only one resolution – He stated our brains are unable to handle multiple resolutions. We should pick one he said; the one that is most important to us and focus on it.
2. Take baby steps – After picking one resolution, he suggests to break it down to the simplest task possible, and work up from that. 
3. Hold yourself accountable by telling others or writing it down – people around you can have a significant influence on your behavior. If you tell someone, you are more likely to put greater effort into keeping it. 
4. He said to focus on the carrot and not the stick – By this Widrich means to “reward yourself” for advancing your habits and behaviors. The example he cites is having an unhealthy snack after a few days of successful dieting is a “sure fire way to increase your success rate.”

Question – What would happen if we changed the focus of our resolutions this year to encourage life transformation? If we were to focus on the spiritual aspects of our lives, it truly could be transformational. Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (NKJV) Would you like to get to the end of 2020 and believe that you lived out God’s will for your life? Do you want to become more like Christ this year?

Here are my suggestions for life transformation New Year’s resolutions for the believer:

1. To love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself – Mark 12:30-31
2. Begin every day in the Word – Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12
3. Commit to inviting one person from your circle of family and friends to church each week – Hebrews 3:13
4. Join and attend a year-round bible study class – Psalm 119:11
5. Volunteer at your church – Mark 10:45
6. Commit to defining what are the needs and what are the wants of your life, and then increasing your giving to the Lord’s work – Matthew 6:28; 2 Corinthians 9:7
7. Journal so that you can remember God’s care (Judges 8:34); to remind you that spiritual growth is a process (1 Timothy 4:15); to stay focused in your prayer life and mindful of God’s answers; as a means of encouraging those in the family of faith that come after you.

These are just suggestions to get you thinking. Have you made spiritual resolutions for this year? What things have you put in place that will help you succeed in keeping those things you have resolved to do? May 2020 be the best year of your spiritual journey to date!