Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Suffering Over the years, there have been those who've taught that if someone is suffering for any reason, they must be out of God's will. Perhaps you've even fallen under that impression yourself. Something happens in life, something that produces suffering in a relational, vocational, financial, or even a physical sense. Does is mean you're out of God's will? What does God's Word say? Here, it actually tells us that there are those who are suffering according to the will of God! Let's be clear about something, not all suffering is God's will. Sometimes we suffer as a result of our own sin or the sin of another person, and it's wrong to attribute it to God. But it's just as wrong to say that it's never God's will that we suffer. Oftentimes it is. But why? How can a good and loving God actually want us, the objects of His love, to suffer? Isn't His goodness and our suffering a contradiction? The fact of the matter is this: When it's God's will that we suffer, there's always a good and greater purpose behind the immediate pain and discomfort. Maybe our suffering is what we need to draw close and stay close to Him while we're here on planet earth. Perhaps our suffering is going to get the attention of someone who needs to see an example of the sufficiency of God's grace amidst trials. Or maybe our suffering is the set-up for Him to do something miraculous. Whatever the reason, we need to understand that suffering isn't a signal that we're not in the Lord's will. In fact, sometimes it's evidence that we are. And if we are, we need to take courage and comfort in the fact that our suffering isn't in vain, but is actually accomplishing the will of our faithful Creator. Something happens in life, something that produces suffering in a relational, vocational, financial, or even a physical sense. Does is mean you're out of God's will? Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?