But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, "I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10
I recently met with a dear friend that I hadn't been in contact with for several years. Somehow I knew that God ordained this meeting and getting acquainted again. This friend has been suffering from multiple health problems, heart trouble, migraines, etc. In addition to this, she is struggling with anxiety and depression. She has been in and out of the hospital/emergency room dealing with her physical and emotional struggles. She told me that she that she trusts this all to the Lord and that she knows that he is ordained this season of suffering for his purposes. I was in awe of her faith in her suffering.
Why does God allow suffering whether physical or emotional--disease and affliction, financial burdens, grief, loss of a family member, sadness, anxiety, fear, etc.? I believe we can trust all these things to the Lord and he does have a plan or purpose for these hard seasons in our lives.
This reminds me of a conversation I had this week with my two oldest kids. My 6 year old son, Caleb, was telling me that when he prays for something he has lost or broken, God answers his prayer and gives him what he wants. I sat Caleb and his older sister, Annika, down and told them that it is great to bring things before the Lord, however God does not always answer prayers the way we want him to. Don't get me wrong, God always answers prayer. He may answer it in one of three ways: Yes, No, or Wait. We have to trust that when he answers our prayers with No or Wait it is because he has a greater plan. I used pain and suffering as an example of how God will use trials in our lives for his purpose so that we can be stronger and help others in the process. As another example, Annika brought up the movie, "Facing the Giants." The movie is about a football team with a huge loosing streak. At one point in the movie, the coach says "We praise God when we win and we praise God when we loose." This is totally contrary to what the world tells us. The world tells us we have to win and be on top, the strongest, the best looking, the most powerful.
Maybe that is why it seems so hard to comprehend suffering. Maybe we tend to judge it, ignore it, misunderstand it. God speaks to suffering in such a different way. God carries our sorrows and our burdens for us. God knows us so intricately, he planned us before the creation of the world, and he created us in his image. He desires a close intimate relationship with each one of us.
After accidentally slipping on a wet floor and falling, I was dealing with more pain than usual this week. I found myself repetitively needing to give everything (my pain, my fears, my struggles) to the Lord. Some days I have to just live moment by moment and trust that the Lord would help me through it. As I was driving to an appointment, feeling sorry for myself and a little anxious about the pain in my back and chest, I was listening to KTIS on the radio and a song about weakness came on. Suddenly God spoke to my heart so clearly, "My Grace is Sufficient." Now, this verse has spoken to me numerous times over the years but it was if my eyes were opened to the profound truth of this. God's POWER is made PERFECT in my WEAKNESS. It is OK to be weak because then God is STRONG and he can more fully reveal himself to me and to others. Wow, God. That is awesome! Thank you Jesus! So, I will continue to put my hope in the Lord and trust him day by day, moment by moment. I will praise him for the good days when I feel strong and praise him in my pain and sorrow. God is Good. God is Faithful.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5
