E13 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Suffering - Not if but when - Part 1 of 3
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #13 - Part 1 of 3
Title: Suffering – Not if but When
Date: 6/28/3031
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verses: James 1:2 - My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into [different] (many/various) temptations (trials/tests to show trustworthiness);
James 1:3 - Knowing this, that the trying (testing to show worth) of your faith works patience (endurance/perseverance).
James 1:4 - But let patience (endurance/perseverance) have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire (complete/mature), wanting (lacking) nothing (nothing is left to do concerning growth as mature Christians).
Intro:
In the previous 11 episodes, Luke 4:18 was the focus. This one verse contains 5 promises Jesus gave us and all have to do with relieving suffering.
1. He brought salvation to relieve the suffering of sin, especially eternal suffering
2. He offered to heal those who are broken in their hearts and minds and bring relief to mental pain
3. He made possible freedom from captivity to relieve the pain of destructive habits and thoughts
4. He offers sight to the spiritually blind to relieve the darkness of not knowing the truth which sets us free
5. And He sets free those who are in bondage, oppressed by suffering.
Now, concerning the next 3 episodes, keep these questions in mind as we go through this 3 part series on suffering.
Suffering = pain – So, what does God intend to do with our suffering?
What led to original suffering? (sin)
What can now lead to it? (sin or God’s will)
What do we do about it? (relieve it when possible, endure it when not)
What to do with it? (learn from it /use it)
Who suffers? (the sinner or the righteous?) Philippians 1:29 tells us: “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake,”
What in creation suffers? (Heaven and earth – the whole creation groans: Romans 8:22 – “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”
Today I want to look at the different aspects of suffering and draw from the lessons imparted when we face certain types of suffering.
By doing this – drawing the lessons out – I believe will give us the intended blessings of God in return for the pain we go through.
Also in this series, we’ll study different ways to comfort others who are suffering. By helping to meet their needs for consolation we’ll serve Jesus in deep and meaningful ways. (Matt. 25:35-36) – [Note: This passage in Matt 25 is tied in with the stern warning earlier in this chapter to serve God with all the resources He gives us.] We’ll go into Matthew 25 in more detail in E15.
Today’s Devotion focus:
· Not if but when (James 1:2-4)
These are a few types of suffering: physical – mental – emotional – financial – relational – religious – national…
God uses pain-filled hardships and strife to teach us. (Suffering, of course, was brought about by original sin and is propagated by individual sins –
Sin has a ripple effect and eventually leads to suffering. An extreme example is that of Adolf Hitler. That one man brought untold suffering to millions.
Furthermore, as sin ripples out and brings suffering in one degree or another, God expects us to use the lessons we learn from suffering. At the very least, suffering should move us to seek out and minister to others suffering the same kinds of pain we’ve been through. (Matt. 25 reiterates this)
This also tells us why we suffer, but… Why do we have to suffer to learn?
What is it about us that we learn more deeply the lessons and keep them more faithfully, and even act on the lessons learned more eagerly when we undergo painful circumstances?
My experiences with suffering are that pain imparted the lesson on my mind like a branding iron. Pain at times was so excruciating it left me at times curled up on the floor.
The suffering I brought on myself taught me not to continue in whatever destructive behavior I was doing at the time.
Besides other reasons for suffering, our stubbornness will guarantee we are going to suffer. With stubborn people like me, God is left with little else other than allowing pain to teach.
Suffering has a way of humbling us. Pain-filled loss will strike at our pride.
I gained empathy after really bad suffering passed. And it gave me a deep heart’s desire to help others. This podcast is an effort in that direction.
And then, throw in the factor of sin and a sin-fallen world filled with sinful people, and hang on! Pain is coming.
The point to focus on is: Since suffering is inevitable, what will we do with the suffering? Will we turn it and use it to grow?
What virtues can grow out of pain? The verses in James informs us God uses suffering to give us 3 primary virtues
James 1:2 - My brethren, count it all joy - this is something we choose to do, we must cultivate this response of joy because it will not come naturally.
How can we develop a joyous mindset?
Praise for one thing – in episode 2 we’ll see Job’s praiseful reaction when suffering struck him down (if you want to read ahead, look at Job 1:20-22)
James 1:3 - Knowing this, that the trying (testing to show worth) of your faith works patience (endurance/perseverance).
James 1:4 - But let patience (endurance/perseverance) have its perfect work, that you may be perfect. Perfect means here to be mature in the faith.
Having patience or endurance, to be able to persevere is a quality that will help you when suffering from something like depression.
When I went through suicidal depression more than 35 years ago I had to endure the process of changing my thoughts to the point I no longer wanted to die to end the suffering of hopelessness.
It took perseverance, the practice of not giving up even when I wanted to die, to hang on to the hope something better would come along. What that was I didn’t know. But sure enough, something good did happen and that enabled me to eventually escape that depth of depression.
This process imparted maturity to me though I didn’t know it at the time. Maturity will evidence itself by the way you will change how you view future circumstances and how you will react in better, healthy ways that benefit you.
Do you have any examples from your own life that bears witness to praise coming out of suffering? How about patience, or endurance, and perseverance?
What changes may be needed in your life to alter your behavior so that you live out these principles that may be learned from pain?
How would you explain this teaching to others who may ask?
As I was thinking through this devotion, it came to me how the suffering for me began as a young child, and that if I don’t address it fully and persevere in the process of healing, I will continue suffering from the infliction of pain from those early years. That strikes me as so wrong.
Summary: If we change how we view suffering by understanding, first suffering is inevitable in life; and seek to learn from the pain by learning patience; meaning being willing to wait for healing and this may mean getting counseling of some sort.
If we will endure the pain and let it impart a spirit of hanging on until we win, this is to persevere. We learn then what it means to not give up and this makes us stronger for the next time suffering strikes.
Action to consider: This is hard to do, I know because I’ve done it when the pain was bad. But I can tell you it has a supernatural power you may not recognize at first and so it takes faith to believe this: but if you will thank God for the pain and the lessons it gives, you will gain from the suffering and someday use the lesson to help someone else. This gives purpose to life.
Next week’s devotion: Suffering –Part 2: Not why but who