Help in the Pain - Pt 3
Rejoicing comes in the morning - Psalm 30:5
The Bible speaks of relief from struggle and trial, like the morning sun extinguishing the darkness of night. It's coming, hang in there, morning is coming, and it's important to know that the day is coming when pain will be no more and we will live in the joy of God's love for us. Living in the hope of what's coming is really important, but the now is important too, and Jesus is ours now and not just in the future.
And our call as His children is to show that He's more valuable than anything else, including our comfort. So let's talk about what's happening in our suffering here, because the Holy Spirit is working eternity in us now, in our difficulty. Scripture gives us many ways that pain helps us and helps the Kingdom.
First, suffering helps us see clearly that putting our anchor into the bedrock of this world is foolhardy and we are citizens of a different kingdom. 2 Corinthians 4, 16-18 emphasizes that while outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day and being prepared for eternal glory. So one of the real benefits of suffering as a Christian is the way God uses it to help us look up for what really matters.
Second, in 2 Corinthians 1, 5, the Apostle Paul says that through Jesus we receive abundantly in comfort while suffering. Let's imagine you have cancer and you feel scared and alone, and while your friends do care, it's difficult for them to really comfort you. Now imagine someone just like you, someone that loves you in ways you can't even imagine, with a personality that connects to yours, and this person went through exactly what you're going through.
And this friend's insights and ideas and hope has a certainty about it. And this friend will never leave your side. That would be helpful, right? Jesus is that person for us.
Scripture tells us that Jesus really knows what we're going through. He was betrayed and abandoned by his closest friends. He was mocked and ridiculed by the culture that had the power and set the tone that everyone followed.
And then these people tortured and killed him. He can identify with your pain and he knows with certainty the outcome. And the outcome is better than you can imagine.
So suffering gives us the experience of God's comfort. This brings us to the third benefit of suffering. We also can be a comforter to others that are in pain.
Because Jesus is our comforter and he knows what we're going through, we can help others because we too know what they're going through. We can comfort others with the same comfort we receive. We can, in a sense, be for others who Jesus is for us.
As a human, I have a tendency to think everything is about me. When things are easy, it's all about me. And when I'm in pain, it's really all about me.
But that's not true. While the grace and mercy of God is ours, he is also working in the lives of others and we can be part of that mission too. One of the most difficult verses in the Bible, I think, is in Psalm 119, 71, where the psalmist says, It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
Have you ever looked back on a difficult time and acknowledged God's faithfulness while you struggled? I'm guessing you have. Wouldn't it be great if, while we're in pain, we actually believe God is working for our eternal benefit and for the benefit of others? That should change everything.
Kind Father, I know that you know what's best for me, even if it includes suffering. I'm sorry that my faith in your goodness sometimes is weak. Thank you for caring for me and pouring your goodness over me in every situation. Please cause me to trust you the way I should.
Song: In Christ Alone