Suffering

If Jesus himself said, “In this world you will have tribulation (misery, hardship, problems, trouble, difficulty, distress, pain, suffering, misfortune, trials)…” why do we consider it betrayal, or lack of faith, or punishment when it befalls us?  Why is it we think we are not blessed when suffering engulfs us?   I used to be one of those people that said, “I’ve been blessed because such and such has never happened to me.”  What shortsighted faith I was operating from. 

Now that I’m flattened out on the opposite side of the ‘blessed’ spectrum, I can wholeheartedly testify that I am just as blessed as before, leaning towards more since I’m able to understand The Word all the deeper and experience His presence all the richer.  You see, after Jesus warned us that we would have tribulation, he encouraged us that it’s all going to be okay because He has conquered the world!  That means in the end, He wins, not the enemy.  That means that despite our painful and agonizing problems, it will be amazingly spectacular one day when we are enjoying His kingdom come!  

The Scriptures are filled with lovers of God who suffer.  Lovers of God who suffer deeply.  Lovers of God who die horrible deaths for His name.   Where was their blessing?  Where was their faith?  Where was their abundant life?  Church, it was all over them…giving them the faith and trust to take their next breath despite what their circumstances told them.   He is wanting us to grasp a broader understanding of faith and trust, and understand that being blessed doesn’t equate to an undisturbed, rosy life.   That’s why James, the son of Mary and Joseph, was able to say, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials…”  Sounds wrong, but when we live it like He allowed for us, it’s oh-so-right. 

As you live your life abandoned to Jesus Christ and His ways, know that He will sustain you through every circumstance, and you will be surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.