For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5
You know, it’s one thing to suffer the consequences for our bad decisions, I can handle that…but to suffer because of an idiot is something else entirely. How many times have I questioned the sovereignty of God when I have to suffer because of someone’s sin? Why can’t God ride in on His big white horse and bring judgment on those who hurt the innocent? Why do good people have to suffer unimaginable anguish because of greedy, wicked, and selfish jerks? If I were God, those people would be an afterthought…a smoking hole. And that, ladies, is just one of the many reasons why I am not God.
If I stare into the face of injustice for too long, I get more and more outraged, but if I stare into the face of God, I see my unfair situation as a blessing. Yea, I’m not saying that I’m thrilled to suffer for an idiot’s sake; I’m simply saying that somehow He makes it make sense. He has this ability to let me see further down the road at what my suffering will bring, if I let it. Why do I have to suffer? Who knows, but what happens while I suffer is incredible.
There are lessons to be learned in our suffering. No matter the degree or level of pain, God can give us understanding. That understanding may never explain why people hurt us, but we will be able to see how God feels about it and how He can use it. He’s never happy to see us hurt. But this one thing I know, where there is hurt, devastation, and deficit, God will pour out a surplus of His goodness, comfort, and grace. I know this first hand. When we get our eyes off what has been done to us and set our focus on what has been done for us at the cross, we can come to terms with our pain. In His presence we find clarity about our future, and our hope is restored. In His presence the broken pieces of our lives are gently made whole again. If we listen to what He says, we can see how much stronger we’ll be when we come out of this. We’ll see how we will be able to help others. But the best part about turning to God in our suffering, is the love and comfort He pours out on us. No one knows suffering like Christ. No one knows what it’s like to suffer at the hands of ungodly people for a crime you didn’t commit like He does. And it’s because of that understanding He can comfort us. He searches out the brokenhearted, longing to restore their hope.
Listen, in this world we will have pain. We will suffer because of people’s bad decisions but God has an incredible ability to turn it into something beautiful, if we let Him. So will you let Him have your pain? Will you let Him exchange your suffering for something incorruptible? Will you learn to be like Him through your grief? Will you allow Him to show you something beautiful about Himself as He walks you through this difficult season?
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YOUR KOFFEE WITH THE KING: God wants to give you understanding about your suffering. He wants to give you insight into how He can turn this around for you. What Satan meant for harm, God will use for good…if you let Him. He wants to take away the word victim from your vocabulary and show you how you are a victor. You can overcome whatever you are going through. You can be healed completely from what’s been done to you. God wants to take this pain and use it to show the world how good He is by healing and loving you. Spend time today talking about what’s hurting you. Listen attentively to what He says to you…His words are healing and they are life.
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FURTHER STUDY: Look over these scriptures about God’s comfort and our suffering this week. Meditate on them and ask God to give you revelation about your situation through these scriptures.
Day 2: Read 2 Corinthians 1:4-7
Day 3: Read Romans 8:17-18
Day 4: Read 1 Peter 3:13-17
Day 5: Read Isaiah 51:2-3