04/28/2021
We enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ who suffered terribly as He obeyed the will of God, and redeemed us from sin, yet so many believers think that we should not face tribulation in our lifetimes. This is far from what scripture tells us, but even in our storms we will find hope, comfort, and protection in the Lord. Then, when the storms subside, the light of God will shine upon us and we will find ourselves to have grown in faith and our relationship to have been made all the stronger.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:10 ESV
Suffering through trials teaches us resolve, perseverance, and how to endure as individuals, but joint suffering builds trust and relationship like nothing else we can experience. When I finished high school I attended the Virginia Military Institute which is a four year military college in the mountains of Virginia. The first year there all freshmen are called rats, and made to endure a year of physical and mental challenge like none other. During this time we were made to hurt, feel distress, humiliation, suffer through exhaustion, depend on one another, and sometimes even bleed together as blisters, cuts, and scrapes took their toll. Through all of this we were maintained our academic studies, and learned to be soldiers. As we went through that year it often felt overwhelming, tempers flared, and we even faced defeat from time to time, but in the end something amazing had occurred... a bond had formed between us that would last a lifetime. Since those days of joint suffering we still lean on one another, and get together every five years for a reunion where we reaffirm that brotherhood.
Our faith and the grasp we maintain on it during physical and mental trials accomplishes a very similar thing to that first torturous year at VMI ... we come to trust in God, lean on Him, and to hunker down with Jesus to weather all the storms in our life. Our love, and dependence on Him grows stronger as we lean into the wind, and as it does, we find that we can joyously praise Him.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:2-4 ESV
In the Old Testament Jeremiah expressed similar thoughts because he too suffered and faced hardships. We don’t ask to be saved unless there is something to be saved from. We don’t ask to be healed unless we are sick, and we don’t ask that our faith be strengthened unless it is strained to its limit. Listen to how Jeremiah not only trusts in God during his tribulation, but praises Him just as in the coming years the Apostle James would come to do.
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14 ESV
So it should not shake us, or shock us, when we find ourselves suffering in life. This life is meant to temper our faith like plunging steel into cold water makes it all the stronger. When we pass through the valleys, even the valley of death, we emerge from them stronger than when we entered.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 ESV
Jeremiah suffered in life, Jesus suffered, and every Bible character has suffered in some way, so likewise, we too will suffer, but when our trials have all been endured, and we have been led through every valley, the promised reward for our strength of faith will be great...
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.””
Revelation 21:4 ESV
Are we looking towards Jesus, and praying for strength in faith, and relationship, during our own trials?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the trials in our lives that bring us closer to you, and open our eyes to your love and faithfulness. Thank you for your Son Jesus who suffered unbearably, and taught us from Gethsemane to Calvary, how to face suffering in our own lives as we praise your name, and do your will. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who provides us yourself as a shelter in every storm. We praise your name Father, not for removing us from our suffering, but for being with us in the midst of it. You are merciful Lord, and your mercy is evident, not in the absence of tribulation, but as you lead us, heal us, and save us. We bear the scars of life just as Jesus bears His, and we wear them as a sign of our faith, and your grace. Wash us clean Lord in the blood of Jesus, and prepare us, through His cup, and in our remembrance of Him, for eternity with you.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 ESV
Rich Forbes