We live in a world plagued by sickness, war, heartbreak and suffering of every kind. At times it is difficult to reconcile this pain to the nature of our loving, merciful God. How many of us have heard, or asked, the question: “Why, Lord?”
Yet in a broken world, suffering does not have to mean defeat. We face adversity
because of sin, but we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice.Suffering may belong to this world and us with it while we live here, but the good news is that we do not belong to this world forever. Jesus saves us in at least three ways by His grace through faith:
1. By His death on the cross we have been saved form the penalty of sin – past
2. By His resurrection we can and are being saved daily from the power of sin – present
3. By His ascension we will be saved form the presence of sin – future
God’s will is not for our comfort, convenience, safety, security, health, personal rights, prestige, position, authority and power. But because the will of God is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son, all things work together for our good.
The real issue is not what happens to us, but how we respond. The choice is ours:
1. Negative Response – a response of unbelief characterized by:
a) Blaming someone else (Galatians 5:15; Romans 12:14, 17-19)
b) Indulging in self-pity (1 Peter 4:12; Hebrews 12;3-13)
c) Fostering unforgiveness – bitterness, resentment, hostility,
withdrawal (Hebrews 12:15; Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:24-25)
d) Fighting against suffering – attacking others, self-justification
(James 3:13-18; Matthew 5:44; 2 Timothy 2:24-25)
2. Positive response – a response of faith characterized by:
a) Affirming that God loves us (Romans 8:1, 31-39)
b) Remembering that Jesus understands (Isaiah 53:1-12:
Hebrews 4:15, 5:1-9; 12:2-4)
c) Affirming that God can use all things for good (Romans 8:28)
d) Specifically giving thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
e) As a step of faith, considering it joy (James 1:2-4)
f) Exulting in tribulation (Romans 5:3)
We cannot escape suffering, but we can choose to respond in faith. Christ is our hope, our salvation, our comfort and our refuge. The choice is ours. (JIM GREEN)