Suffering For A Moment

By
Bob Allen

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

In the book "Left Behind" the author asks, "Have you ever thought about how different the world was that Adam and Eve lived in before the fall? Everything and everyone was perfect. No improvements of anything were needed. No sickness, backaches, headaches, no bugs, or smog to bother you. No need to workout and starve your self to lose weight. No pass hurts to struggle through. No flesh patterns or distorted beliefs to untangle.

Every day Adam and Eve would enjoy unhindered intimate relationship with God and one another fueled by His unconditional love for them. Everything was perfect and fun!

Then came the greatest and saddest tragic love story that ever entered human history. The fall of human kind. Adam willfully disobeys God and Eve was deceived by Satan to believe that God was not good and was a cruel controlling cosmic kill joy!

Now every human is born into a gene pool which gets increasingly imperfect and sinful. We live in a world that reaps the consequences of sinful choices. Where wrong is right and right is wrong.
Daily we read and hear of global wars, starvation, crashes, rapes, and out of control crime even in the most "quietest and safest" neighborhoods. Pain, suffering and problems are everywhere and often show up on our front porch unwanted and uninvited.

Pain, problems and suffering have no manors and are no respecter of persons? It’s times like these that we find it easy to cry out to God asking Why? What did I do? Who’s to blame? Why is this terrible thing happening to me? I’m just as good as the next person. If God is a loving God, why would He allow such bad things to happen to me and my loved ones? These questions often times can go unanswered.

Oswald Chambers said, "To be able to explain suffering is the clearest indication of never having suffered."

In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts."

In other words we can believe that God is working, allowing and accomplishing things we cannot even begin to see or understand. The key is to remember who He is and not focus on what He is doing or the circumstances that we are facing at the time. Circumstances can change but God never does. He is always good and loving by His nature. There is no security in what God is doing there is only security in who God is.

Jesus said, "In this world you will have the tribulation". So why be surprised when it happens?

Even Jesus experienced suffering. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered? Who would have known that through his suffering and agony would come the redemption of humankind. Jesus had a purpose in His suffering. Redeeming and purchasing us for God was the joy set before Him

God’s will for Jesus suffering would also included the rejection of family and friends. He would suffer aloneness, isolation, being misunderstood, and being oppressed. Can you relate?

Can you discover any purpose or meaning in your suffering? Can you find a loving Father working all things out for His glory and your good? Can you find His purposes through what He is allowing to happen to your life? Maybe a new sensitivity that you’ve never had before. Or a new fresh love for your spouse. How about a new dependence upon the life of Christ in you? A new joy and appreciation for your kids.

Remember my dear friends that there are times when Father must allow us to experience some pain and suffering or unfortunate circumstances. It makes us a more sensitive listener and learner. It also teaches us to be humble, gentle and to live in daily dependence upon Christ living in us and through us.

(Adapted from the book "Left Behind")