God promises that as we love Him fully through every circumstance in our life, He will work out everything for our good and for His glory. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ” (Romans 8:28, NIV84) There is nothing that can stop us from fulfilling our purpose and destiny except that we would take our eyes off of Jesus in the midst of out trials.
Jesus demonstrated how to walk through testing and how to endure trails. Jesus never doubted His Father’s love and faithfulness. From the tests in the desert, to the prayer in Gethsemane to the suffering on the cross, Jesus did all things for God’s glory. Jesus reminds us that we too may find our paths are difficult at times. “”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ” (John 16:33, NIV84)
What do we do when we find ourselves in a time of suffering? Paul gives us insight. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. ” (2 Corinthians 1:3–11, NIV84)
First, we never stop praising and worshipping God. When the enemy steals our worship, he has taken our eyes off Jesus and onto the darkness of the battle. In all things we praise God. However, in a time of suffering, we learn to praise God as the Father of compassion and mercy. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” Our worship is a cry to know Him as our loving Father. Our worship is a cry to learn to compassion and the comfort of God in a season of hardship.
Second, we remind ourselves that all things that we overcome will make us stronger. We remind ourselves that God has promised that as we endure and as our eyes and our worship remain upon Him, we will overcome. When we overcome, our strength becomes strength for others. Paul reminds us that “we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Third, we hang on to endurance. We cling to the Word of the promises of God. We draw closer to our Loving Father. We endure faithfully all things and in those trials we bring glory to God.
There will be times when life seems to overwhelm us. There will be times when despair knocks on our doors daily. In those times, we learn to focus and rely on God. “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.” God is our Hope. God is our deliverer. God is mighty to Save. God will raise us from the despair and bring us to JOY!
The times of suffering come. We can look to the strength of people who have gone ahead of us. We can ask them to pray. We can trust that God brought them through, God will bring us through.
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