ThroughSample

Our immediate reaction when something terrible happens in our lives is to avoid it or to get through it as quickly as possible. We all hate pain and try to strip it from our lives as far as possible. Some Christians may even be tempted to view suffering as ‘not of God’, as they reason that a loving God would never allow suffering in the lives of his children.

Yet many times we see suffering and persecution accompany God’s chosen people in the Bible. Jesus himself says that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And then Paul reminds us that “as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses.” One only has to look at the persecution of the early Christians and of those first Spirit-filled believers to be reminded of how true this was then, and remains even now in countries where the Christian faith is repressed.

A well-known quote from C.S. Lewis goes: “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

His words capture the power that pain has to jolt us from a complacent and comfortable faith – or to draw an unbeliever into God’s embrace.

Undoubtedly, the most difficult aspect of suffering to cope with is that we’re no longer in control. The circumstances leave us feeling helpless, without hope, and unable to reverse or correct what has happened. The diagnosis of a dread disease, the death of someone close to us, a retrenchment, public shaming, an extra-marital affair which has been exposed . . . Whatever the situation, the suffering we go through is real, intense, and all-pervasive. So, what do we do as we battle through each day?

Firstly, we need to let go and listen. We need to question what God is saying in that time of pain. One of the aspects which challenges most of us is the concept of surrender. It’s all very well singing the well-known chorus “I surrender all,” but what does that really mean? The brokenness which comes with a time in the wilderness also often brings with it the hope of healing and of being put back together as a new creation. But this means letting go of the old – of our need to be in charge of our lives. Surrender means just that: giving up control to God, entirely. But we find that so difficult!

God sends people to do his work in our lives, especially when he sees us floundering in the wilderness. We all respond differently to suffering. Some embrace the kindness of others because being surrounded by family and friends is a source of great comfort. Others, though, just want to be alone, so they shut out the well-intentioned offers of help and withdraw into themselves where they hope to find the strength to cope. Whichever type we are, we should acknowledge the kindness and concern shown to us and recognise that God’s voice and his hands may well be found in the love they show us.

Finally, we need to realise that we live in a fallen world, in which suffering is a daily reality for millions. Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from this. Rather, we need to know that we have a God who loves us enough to carry us, to bind up the broken-hearted, to send his angels to protect us, to comfort us, and deliver us from our sufferings, in his perfect timing.

Suffering isn’t what God wants for us. And ultimately, what he really desires is for us to spend eternity delighting in him as he does in us. But he’s also not a God who’s unconcerned about his people in the present, as we see so frequently with his interventions in the Bible. What he offers you now, in the pain and suffering you’re currently experiencing, is his presence and his strength. What he hopes is that the suffering will wrench you away from a reliance on your own strength and wisdom towards that which he offers you. You’ll not find him lacking.

Some thoughts to ponder:

What is God's megaphone, 'shouting' to you right now?

Who are the people you most value right now, who are walking alongside you through the wilderness? Do they know how much their support means to you?