My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, “My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the Lord.”
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials [or temptations], knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
In a world of suffering and stress some people are more prone to anxiety, depression and fear than others. In the light of His Word ongoing turmoil in the believer’s heart can give rise to nagging guilt and condemning doubts. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I know the joy of the Lord? Why can’t I rejoice and boast in my sufferings? (Consider Nehemiah 8 and Romans 5:3.) Why am I so often a victim of my circumstances? Where has my godly zeal gone? How can I “overwhelmingly conquer” this situation through Him who loved us and gave Himself up for us (see Romans 8:37 and Galatians 2:20)?
Can you relate to those dreadful, lonely cries from the heart found here and there in Scripture? Psalm 88 is the blackest, full of sorrow and vexation from start to finish. Here was a soul who had eventually lost hope. Have you sometimes wondered how you could have a saving faith in God yet at the same time be dogged by recurring fears and waves of hopelessness? Was it because you hadn’t been wholly focussed on Him? Were there times when you weren't consciously rooted in Christ each day, firmly established in sound teaching? We're you truly living by faith, utterly submitted to His will?
To persevere in Christ we must be walking by faith every day, free from distractions and compromise. When hard times come, when trials are severe, we need to be those who have been faithful in prayer. We should be habitually dedicated to learning and understanding God’s Word. When trouble comes we must be those who have kept ourselves from being contaminated by the devil’s world (read James 1:27; 4:4; 7, 8). Self and the damaging influences of the world will destabilise our relationship with Christ.
Christ taught us to take up our heavy cross and follow Him, but we also know His burden is light. We know that the cares and worries of this world and other distractions can keep the unsaved from following Him, even though they have heard His Word (see Matthew 13:17 and 11:27-30). But the cares of this world can hold us back too. Jesus taught us: “…which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?” (Luke 12:25). And Paul wrote: “Be anxious for nothing…”; “God has not given us a Spirit of timidity [or fearfulness, cowardice], but of power and love and discipline [or sound judgement]” (Philippians 4:6; 2nd Timothy 1:7). We can cast all our anxiety on Him, because He cares for us (see 1st Peter 5:6, 7).
Tragically, there will be times when true believers in Christ will suffer intensely. In great distress they may die crying out for help and relief, their faith being severely tested in their final hours. But do not judge them harshly for that. You too will die, sooner or later, and it may not happen quickly or easily. Like David in 2nd Samuel 11 and 12, God’s chosen can also sin shamefully—even criminally—suffering deeply because of their wrong choices, hounded endlessly by crippling regrets (read Psalm 51). They are without excuse but do not judge them scornfully for that either. After death you too will appear before the judgment seat of Christ: “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:16). How will you behave between now and then?
Perhaps your suffering, sickness and fears have occasionally had a major impact on your faith causing you to frustratedly wrestle with God. Why does He allow bad things to happen when we need it least? Why have those we loved fallen sick and died? In tearful despair we will remind Him He is a merciful and loving God who perfectly understands the afflictions and grief His people go through. Job-like we may dare to question Him. Why does He allow such distress and sorrow while caring for all those He chose before the foundation of the world (see Ephesians 1:4)?
Our minds may easily grasp the dry theology of a life of faith: faith is the inner assurance of everything we hope to receive from God, the evidence of things we can never grasp with the senses (see Hebrews 11:1). We have been taught that true faith is the confident expectation that God will make a difference according to His will. We believe in His promise to all believers, that we can ask anything in His name according to His will (consider Matthew 21:22 and John 14:12-15). But is it really His will for us that we suffer repeatedly despite our sincere faith and persistent prayers?
If we are sure we aren’t being disciplined by our loving Father, why do we continue to hurt so badly? The world would tell us we suffer because our God doesn’t exist: “Human suffering clearly proves faith is meaningless—the God of the Bible is man-made nonsense.” But we believe that darkened minds cannot know God. The world-view of the lost is mere foolishness to Him and we will not listen to it.
Would it strengthen our resolve and help us to be patient if we humbly accepted His uncompromising character as revealed in Scripture? His ways are past finding out, His thoughts high above our thoughts:
Our God forms light and creates darkness. He causes well-being and peace; He creates disaster and calamity. He kills and gives life. He wounds and heals. He is the Lord Who makes man mute or blind or seeing. From the mouth of the Most High proceed both adversity and blessing. Who then are we to question Him? He is the Lord and He will do what He pleases (see 1st Samuel 3:18). “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).
Although some aspects of God’s character may be puzzling and hard to accept, we must never question His sovereignty. It is a serious mistake to overemphasise His love and undeserving favour (grace) while downplaying His holy wrath and sovereign right to execute terrible justice: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). He will do as He pleases in Heaven and on earth: “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
We know that our Father is “the eternal Spirit” Who is love (see John 4:24, Hebrews 9:14 and 1st John 4:16). He is a God of tender compassion Who forgives all our sins. He is “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (see Exodus 34:6, 7). Here we see a forgiving God Who is to be worshipped, yes, but also reverently feared. “…the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13, ESV).
God never disregards or makes light of our bodily weaknesses. In His Word He acknowledges our many frailties and struggles. He cares about our pain. To exist is to suffer. After He led the sons of Israel out of Egypt He called them to serve Him faithfully, promising to remove “all” their sicknesses (see Exodus 23:25 and Deuteronomy 7:15). We can be assured He hears the cries of all those who belong to Him, those who are deeply distressed (see 1st Samuel 9:16). His lovingkindness is abundant (see Isaiah 63:7). In all their affliction He Himself was afflicted (v.9). But in the context of of Isaiah 63 we must take note that when His chosen people “rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit… He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them” (v.10).
The Bible further affirms that God in Christ fully appreciates the suffering we go through. He understands how dreadful our sicknesses and pain can be. We read in the Gospels that Christ was “moved with compassion”, “had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick” (Amplified Bible), was “healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people”, was “deeply moved in spirit and was troubled”—“Jesus wept”. He knows our pain and His Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (see Romans 8:26).
Searching through Scripture we discover that sickness could come from God or from Satan, or was caused by wrongdoing, or had no obvious cause. In 2nd Chronicles 21 God afflicted King Jehoram with a distressing incurable sickness that caused his bowels to “come out… day by day… and he died in great pain.” In Luke 13 Jesus healed a woman who “had a sickness caused by a spirit”. She had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. Here the evil spirit and Satan are together the source of her dreadful suffering. In the Book of Job the Lord gives Satan permission to afflict Job “with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
In 1st Corinthians 11 Paul warns the church that “Whoever… eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord… anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died… when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
In 2nd Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul was given “a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted” (Amplified Bible). God was responsible for Paul’s bodily affliction and when he repeatedly asked for relief the Lord told him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” What was Paul’s response? “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” God had used Paul to dramatically heal people (see Acts 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 28), yet he himself suffered weaknesses in his body.
Philippians 2:25-30, 1st Timothy 5:23 and 2nd Timothy 4:20 mention sickness and ailments, but no direct reason for them is given: “For indeed he [Epaphroditus] was sick to the point of death”; “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments”; “Trophimus I [Paul] left sick at Miletus.”
So Epaphroditus, Timothy and Trophimus were not healed. Why? Was Epaphroditus’ illness caused by his disobedience? Was Timothy frequently unwell because of his sin? Was Trophimus’ sickness “a messenger of Satan”, the evidence of God’s loving discipline? Or were these three men suffering because illness was as common then as it is today? Although there were gifts of healing among the early church, healing didn’t always take place. Some argue that these gifts have died out, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
In John 9 Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In this case sin was in no way linked to the poor man’s blindness. Rather his unfortunate condition became an opportunity for God’s power to be demonstrated.
In James 5 those who were suffering were told to pray. Those who were sick were instructed to “call for the elders of the church” who would pray and anoint the heads of the suffering with oil. We then read that “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Oil cannot heal us any more than the waters of baptism can save us from God’s wrath and give us eternal life. It was faith in God through Christ that released the healing power of the Holy Spirit. It was faith that led to the forgiveness of sins. The faith being spoken of here in James is no different to the faith of Paul in the Book of Acts. It was because of their faith in Christ that God’s power flowed through these frail men. “…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We must walk by faith and not be influenced by how things appear (see 2nd Corinthians 5:7). And if suffering remains we should never lose heart. We are called to patiently endure. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
God’s chosen can also go through suffering because of their sinful behaviour or when their faith in Christ leads to cruel persecutions. Our waywardness will always incur God’s displeasure and discipline: “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:10, 11). It is God’s way to humble and test His people (prayerfully consider Deuteronomy 8:2, 3). Following Christ is costly (read Luke 14:26-30).
When Saul was travelling along the road intent on ravaging the early Church he was blinded by Christ Who told Him, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). To hurt the Church is to hurt Christ. To tyrannise His people is to strike out at God Himself. Later the Lord said: “…I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle, a special messenger who suffered greatly for the Gospel (Acts 14:19, for example).
Our life of faith will be tested when we suffer illness, or pass through times of distressing grief, or when we become weighed down by the cares of this life (consider 1st Peter 1:6, 7). Through our darkest days of oppression God encourages us to be patient in trials and to stand up to temptations (James 1:12). The Lord wants us to grow spiritually. It’s His desire that we should be pure in heart understanding His will for us.
We may question the appalling suffering this world goes through, especially when innocent children and infants are involved. We may regularly watch the news and be deeply upset by the trouble caused by evil people. Some of it is too harrowing to repeat. We may wonder where God has gone when we are very sick lying in hospital, lonely and distraught. We may feel abandoned on the day we receive very bad news. True believers can experience times of doubt when God’s ways appear too difficult and the adversities He allows seem too harsh.
We read in Luke 22:3 that “Satan entered into Judas”. I sometimes wonder if Satan possessed Job’s wife when she said, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). Do not shake your fist at God. He is calling you to lay aside every hindrance and the sin which so easily traps you, and run with endurance the race that is set before you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith (see Hebrews 12:1, 2).
When endless afflictions and miseries threaten to mar your relationship with God, remember that without the suffering and resurrection of Christ God could not have reconciled you to Himself, forgiving all your sin. He endured the brutal agonies of a Roman cross so you might walk with Him in the newness of life. You are now a new creature; old things have passed away. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and each day put on the new self. Persevere under trial, for once you have been approved, you will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Can you relate to those dreadful, lonely cries from the heart found here and there in Scripture? Psalm 88 is the blackest, full of sorrow and vexation from start to finish. Here was a soul who had eventually lost hope. Have you sometimes wondered how you could have a saving faith in God yet at the same time be dogged by recurring fears and waves of hopelessness? Was it because you hadn’t been wholly focussed on Him? Were there times when you weren't consciously rooted in Christ each day, firmly established in sound teaching? We're you truly living by faith, utterly submitted to His will?
To persevere in Christ we must be walking by faith every day, free from distractions and compromise. When hard times come, when trials are severe, we need to be those who have been faithful in prayer. We should be habitually dedicated to learning and understanding God’s Word. When trouble comes we must be those who have kept ourselves from being contaminated by the devil’s world (read James 1:27; 4:4; 7, 8). Self and the damaging influences of the world will destabilise our relationship with Christ.
Christ taught us to take up our heavy cross and follow Him, but we also know His burden is light. We know that the cares and worries of this world and other distractions can keep the unsaved from following Him, even though they have heard His Word (see Matthew 13:17 and 11:27-30). But the cares of this world can hold us back too. Jesus taught us: “…which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?” (Luke 12:25). And Paul wrote: “Be anxious for nothing…”; “God has not given us a Spirit of timidity [or fearfulness, cowardice], but of power and love and discipline [or sound judgement]” (Philippians 4:6; 2nd Timothy 1:7). We can cast all our anxiety on Him, because He cares for us (see 1st Peter 5:6, 7).
Tragically, there will be times when true believers in Christ will suffer intensely. In great distress they may die crying out for help and relief, their faith being severely tested in their final hours. But do not judge them harshly for that. You too will die, sooner or later, and it may not happen quickly or easily. Like David in 2nd Samuel 11 and 12, God’s chosen can also sin shamefully—even criminally—suffering deeply because of their wrong choices, hounded endlessly by crippling regrets (read Psalm 51). They are without excuse but do not judge them scornfully for that either. After death you too will appear before the judgment seat of Christ: “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:16). How will you behave between now and then?
Perhaps your suffering, sickness and fears have occasionally had a major impact on your faith causing you to frustratedly wrestle with God. Why does He allow bad things to happen when we need it least? Why have those we loved fallen sick and died? In tearful despair we will remind Him He is a merciful and loving God who perfectly understands the afflictions and grief His people go through. Job-like we may dare to question Him. Why does He allow such distress and sorrow while caring for all those He chose before the foundation of the world (see Ephesians 1:4)?
Our minds may easily grasp the dry theology of a life of faith: faith is the inner assurance of everything we hope to receive from God, the evidence of things we can never grasp with the senses (see Hebrews 11:1). We have been taught that true faith is the confident expectation that God will make a difference according to His will. We believe in His promise to all believers, that we can ask anything in His name according to His will (consider Matthew 21:22 and John 14:12-15). But is it really His will for us that we suffer repeatedly despite our sincere faith and persistent prayers?
If we are sure we aren’t being disciplined by our loving Father, why do we continue to hurt so badly? The world would tell us we suffer because our God doesn’t exist: “Human suffering clearly proves faith is meaningless—the God of the Bible is man-made nonsense.” But we believe that darkened minds cannot know God. The world-view of the lost is mere foolishness to Him and we will not listen to it.
Would it strengthen our resolve and help us to be patient if we humbly accepted His uncompromising character as revealed in Scripture? His ways are past finding out, His thoughts high above our thoughts:
Our God forms light and creates darkness. He causes well-being and peace; He creates disaster and calamity. He kills and gives life. He wounds and heals. He is the Lord Who makes man mute or blind or seeing. From the mouth of the Most High proceed both adversity and blessing. Who then are we to question Him? He is the Lord and He will do what He pleases (see 1st Samuel 3:18). “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).
Although some aspects of God’s character may be puzzling and hard to accept, we must never question His sovereignty. It is a serious mistake to overemphasise His love and undeserving favour (grace) while downplaying His holy wrath and sovereign right to execute terrible justice: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). He will do as He pleases in Heaven and on earth: “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
We know that our Father is “the eternal Spirit” Who is love (see John 4:24, Hebrews 9:14 and 1st John 4:16). He is a God of tender compassion Who forgives all our sins. He is “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (see Exodus 34:6, 7). Here we see a forgiving God Who is to be worshipped, yes, but also reverently feared. “…the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13, ESV).
God never disregards or makes light of our bodily weaknesses. In His Word He acknowledges our many frailties and struggles. He cares about our pain. To exist is to suffer. After He led the sons of Israel out of Egypt He called them to serve Him faithfully, promising to remove “all” their sicknesses (see Exodus 23:25 and Deuteronomy 7:15). We can be assured He hears the cries of all those who belong to Him, those who are deeply distressed (see 1st Samuel 9:16). His lovingkindness is abundant (see Isaiah 63:7). In all their affliction He Himself was afflicted (v.9). But in the context of of Isaiah 63 we must take note that when His chosen people “rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit… He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them” (v.10).
The Bible further affirms that God in Christ fully appreciates the suffering we go through. He understands how dreadful our sicknesses and pain can be. We read in the Gospels that Christ was “moved with compassion”, “had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick” (Amplified Bible), was “healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people”, was “deeply moved in spirit and was troubled”—“Jesus wept”. He knows our pain and His Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (see Romans 8:26).
Searching through Scripture we discover that sickness could come from God or from Satan, or was caused by wrongdoing, or had no obvious cause. In 2nd Chronicles 21 God afflicted King Jehoram with a distressing incurable sickness that caused his bowels to “come out… day by day… and he died in great pain.” In Luke 13 Jesus healed a woman who “had a sickness caused by a spirit”. She had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. Here the evil spirit and Satan are together the source of her dreadful suffering. In the Book of Job the Lord gives Satan permission to afflict Job “with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
In 1st Corinthians 11 Paul warns the church that “Whoever… eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord… anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died… when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
In 2nd Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul was given “a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted” (Amplified Bible). God was responsible for Paul’s bodily affliction and when he repeatedly asked for relief the Lord told him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” What was Paul’s response? “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” God had used Paul to dramatically heal people (see Acts 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 28), yet he himself suffered weaknesses in his body.
Philippians 2:25-30, 1st Timothy 5:23 and 2nd Timothy 4:20 mention sickness and ailments, but no direct reason for them is given: “For indeed he [Epaphroditus] was sick to the point of death”; “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments”; “Trophimus I [Paul] left sick at Miletus.”
So Epaphroditus, Timothy and Trophimus were not healed. Why? Was Epaphroditus’ illness caused by his disobedience? Was Timothy frequently unwell because of his sin? Was Trophimus’ sickness “a messenger of Satan”, the evidence of God’s loving discipline? Or were these three men suffering because illness was as common then as it is today? Although there were gifts of healing among the early church, healing didn’t always take place. Some argue that these gifts have died out, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
In John 9 Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In this case sin was in no way linked to the poor man’s blindness. Rather his unfortunate condition became an opportunity for God’s power to be demonstrated.
In James 5 those who were suffering were told to pray. Those who were sick were instructed to “call for the elders of the church” who would pray and anoint the heads of the suffering with oil. We then read that “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Oil cannot heal us any more than the waters of baptism can save us from God’s wrath and give us eternal life. It was faith in God through Christ that released the healing power of the Holy Spirit. It was faith that led to the forgiveness of sins. The faith being spoken of here in James is no different to the faith of Paul in the Book of Acts. It was because of their faith in Christ that God’s power flowed through these frail men. “…without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We must walk by faith and not be influenced by how things appear (see 2nd Corinthians 5:7). And if suffering remains we should never lose heart. We are called to patiently endure. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
God’s chosen can also go through suffering because of their sinful behaviour or when their faith in Christ leads to cruel persecutions. Our waywardness will always incur God’s displeasure and discipline: “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:10, 11). It is God’s way to humble and test His people (prayerfully consider Deuteronomy 8:2, 3). Following Christ is costly (read Luke 14:26-30).
When Saul was travelling along the road intent on ravaging the early Church he was blinded by Christ Who told Him, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). To hurt the Church is to hurt Christ. To tyrannise His people is to strike out at God Himself. Later the Lord said: “…I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle, a special messenger who suffered greatly for the Gospel (Acts 14:19, for example).
Our life of faith will be tested when we suffer illness, or pass through times of distressing grief, or when we become weighed down by the cares of this life (consider 1st Peter 1:6, 7). Through our darkest days of oppression God encourages us to be patient in trials and to stand up to temptations (James 1:12). The Lord wants us to grow spiritually. It’s His desire that we should be pure in heart understanding His will for us.
We may question the appalling suffering this world goes through, especially when innocent children and infants are involved. We may regularly watch the news and be deeply upset by the trouble caused by evil people. Some of it is too harrowing to repeat. We may wonder where God has gone when we are very sick lying in hospital, lonely and distraught. We may feel abandoned on the day we receive very bad news. True believers can experience times of doubt when God’s ways appear too difficult and the adversities He allows seem too harsh.
We read in Luke 22:3 that “Satan entered into Judas”. I sometimes wonder if Satan possessed Job’s wife when she said, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). Do not shake your fist at God. He is calling you to lay aside every hindrance and the sin which so easily traps you, and run with endurance the race that is set before you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith (see Hebrews 12:1, 2).
When endless afflictions and miseries threaten to mar your relationship with God, remember that without the suffering and resurrection of Christ God could not have reconciled you to Himself, forgiving all your sin. He endured the brutal agonies of a Roman cross so you might walk with Him in the newness of life. You are now a new creature; old things have passed away. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and each day put on the new self. Persevere under trial, for once you have been approved, you will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2nd Corinthians 4:16-18).
“If you show yourself lacking courage in the day of distress, your strength is insufficient” (Proverbs 24:10).
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:3, 4).
(Scripture: NASB)
