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For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)
Why do bad things happen to good people? We have all noticed that
those who try to live a righteous life for God seem to suffer more than those
who live carelessly and selfishly. It is perplexing to our minds because earthly
thinking, and maybe even our sense of justice tells us that if we do right we
will be rewarded with blessings of peace, prosperity, and health. Most people
blame God for being unfair and become bitter toward him and his people. I have
always believed that an atheist is not someone who doesn’t really believe in
God, an atheist is a person who is angry and bitter with God because they have
decided that God didn’t give them, or someone they know, a fair shake at one
time or another. If you meet a person who says they are an atheist, just probe a
little and you will find bitterness in his heart because of some perceived
injustice of God.
The world is a mess, but God didn’t make it that way. Sin entered into the world
by one man – Adam, and so death passed upon all men. The curse of sin has made
the world a place of suffering, pain, and trouble. God in his mercy sent a
Savior. His mission was described in Isaiah 61:1 and Jesus quoted this Scripture
in Luke 4:18.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty them that are bruised,
God has never promised us a life without trouble. As a matter of
fact Jesus said we are guaranteed to have trouble in this world.
…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Job, in his trial, was aware of the fact that trouble is as sure
to be a part of our life as breathing air.
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble. (Job 14:1)
Since we are born into a world full of sin and sinners who
mistreat and hurt each other, we should be thankful that God sent a Savior. This
Savior was sent to heal the brokenhearted. How can you know his healing unless
you are brokenhearted? He was sent to preach deliverance to the captives. How
can you know what it is to be delivered by God unless you are in bondage? He was
sent to set at liberty them that are bruised. How can you know the freedom that
is in Christ unless you have been bruised. He sent the Comforter, which is the
Holy Spirit of God to comfort us in all our tribulations. How can you know what
it is to be comforted by God himself unless you are hurting, or unless you have
suffered injustice at the hands of others?
Jesus was bruised. He was brokenhearted. Jesus also suffered bondage. Nothing
can possibly happen to any of us that would be worse than what has happened to
him. He is not “an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our
infirmities.” He has felt the pain in his heart, in his soul, and in his body
that all the rest of us experience sometime in our lives here on earth. Since He
suffered it too, He is able to sustain us; to encourage us, and give us strength
to make it through. All the disciples, and Paul, as well as all the hundreds of
saints and martyrs through the centuries have been partakers of his sufferings.
In other words, they suffered also, and if you expect to be a follower of Christ
without suffering, you are mistaken.
Suffering makes us better. When we suffer we are much more inclined to reach out
to God. We seek God more fervently and sincerely when we NEED him. The more
severe the suffering, the more intensely we seek God’s face, and when we seek,
we find. When we knock, it is opened to us. But when things are good, and life
is easy and free of trouble we simply do not seek after God as we should. God
does not enjoy seeing us suffer. He loves us and wants what is best for us.
Since He can see farther than we can, He allows suffering and trials because of
the results it produces in our lives.
But God doesn’t just sustain us until the trial is past. We don’t just grit our
teeth and “tough it through.” We are “more than conquerors!” We come out of the
trial much richer than we went into it. We are brought out into a “large place”
where we see farther, see more, have more freedom, and know God much more
intimately than before. We don’t just survive the fire, we come out purified and
BETTER! This is proof to others that our faith is real. It is also a testimony
to them that GOD is real. It shows a true supernatural work in our lives. Others
see Jesus living in us by the way we come out of our most severe trials. Not
only others, but our own hearts are strengthened by the firsthand experience of
the reality of God in our life.
So, without exception, those people who know God most intimately are those who
have suffered most. You may not know what their suffering was. It might not be a
physical illness or loss. It might not be something that is visible to the
public, but you can be assured that if you know someone who truly walks with God
and has a close relationship with Him, you are seeing the product of pain and
suffering in their life, and you are reaping the benefits of it. And when you
find yourself in the midst of something that breaks your heart, and causes you
great pain and loss, realize that God is preparing you to be a blessing to
someone down the road whose life will depend upon your ability to help them. Let
God have his way with you!
Mike Miller
4/5/2008
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