God never leaves us alone in our suffering so that we won’t leave others alone in theirs. God stands whole-heartedly with us in our suffering so that we will stand whole-heartedly with others who are suffering. God grants us mercy so that we can be merciful to others. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. As we look to God for comfort and hope in suffering, he means to spur us on to comfort others who are being afflicted with the same comfort we’ve received from God. So you are never alone in your suffering, whatever the pain or loss might be.īut notice God’s purpose for his comfort. God is infinitely interested in the care and comfort of his sons and daughters in all their afflictions. There’s no affliction that God is unaware of or distant from. Here Paul says that God comforts them in all their afflictions. And because of this relationship, the all-powerful Ruler of the universe is also a Father of mercies and a God of all comfort. We are fellow-heirs with Jesus Christ, sons and daughters of the living God through the gospel (Romans 8:13–17). (2 Corinthians 1:3–5) God’s Purpose in Suffering - and Comfort For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. In fact, Paul says that’s one of God’s plans for our pain:īlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. However, God beautifully comforts the suffering through the means of fellow-sufferers. It’s so constant that it begins to consume and color everything we do - always living in a protective stance. Ongoing pain and suffering tends to turn our focus inward on ourselves. God receives glory when we don’t act like we have it all together, but instead admit that God is holding us together through the gospel of his Son, the ministry of his Spirit, and the prayers of his people.Ī less remembered part of suffering together as believers is the way those who are suffering can comfort others in deep and unique ways. But God receives glory when we let others in to see his strength in our weakness. We get sick of being “the sick one” and tired of being “the one who is always worn out.” We don’t like revealing our weakness. Ongoing pain and suffering tends to isolate us from one another. It’s humbling to let people in on our weaknesses, but it serves to highlight God’s powerful sustaining grace. Paul knows sharing suffering and bearing each other’s burdens gives God glory. In 2 Corinthians 1:11, Paul says that he wants many to join in praying for him so that, as God sustains him, God will get more glory. It’s important that we walk through suffering in community with other believers who can point us to Christ. One way God jogs our memory and preserves our joy in him in the midst of suffering is through one another. God is good to us to continue to remind us, so that we don’t run after idols that might seem better and more reliable than him in the moment. We are always utterly dependent, whether we know it or not. Suffering does not ultimately create dependence it highlights dependence. And oftentimes he must take something away to help us trust him alone, even if at times it feels like we’ve received a death sentence (2 Corinthians 1:8–11). God is good to give us the greatest gift he can give us, which is more of himself. We groan for the day when it is all made right (Romans 8:18–25).Īnd yet, suffering seems to be one of the great instruments in God’s hands to continue to reveal to us our ultimate dependence on him and our ultimate hope in him, despite our circumstances. It’s hard to live in a world of futility and brokenness. It might be chronic pain, cancer, broken relationships, disability, or the struggle against besetting sins. My wife and I have wrestled with her chronic pain for five years now.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |