Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Suffering Part 2
Most of my thoughts today come straight from 1 Peter. I think if it were a book today it might be named "How to Suffer Well-Always for the Sake of Doing Good". After reading this letter through, one could tell Peter has obviously experienced suffering. Peter also has an unwavering hope that all of his suffering was not in vain and ours won't be either...if done right. It is kind of funny writing on this subject because I haven't really suffered. I am so blessed to have a wife, a home, a great family, a job, food, clothing, and both sets of Grandparents still alive. Sure, I've experienced some difficult situations, but none as tough as the Christians Peter was writing to. I feel almost as if I am reviewing a movie that I haven't seen or a book I haven't read. But it is this fact scares/excites/motivates me. I would not by any means wish suffering upon myself or anyone else. I would much rather give God glory in preaching or in leading worship than through suffering. But, if that's what it takes for me to realize that I have nothing without God and cannot place my hope anywhere else, so be it. Peter goes so far to state that "We were called" to suffer for doing good. Put another way, it is God's will that we suffer for doing good. It is God's will that we suffer?! Furthermore, we must give glory to God when we do! I am scared for what God is going to call me to suffer through. I am scared it's going to be difficult. I am scared it is going to test my faith. So my prayer now is, when suffering does come, either for doing good or because creation is subjected to futility, I will give God all the glory for letting me be an instrument of his mercy.
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When we're suffering, we typically get on our knees and beg God to make it stop. In Acts 4, when the apostles were publically flogged for preaching the gospel, they went to church, got on their knees together, and prayed that God would make them even bolder and more courageous in their preaching. That blatant difference scares me for a variety of reasons.
ReplyDeleteBut what if we tried something different? What if instead of praying for our sick to be healed, we prayed that God would help them be radiant exemplars of Christian hope and victory over death and dying? What if praying for the safety of our military, we prayed God would raise up missionaries to go into the most dangerous parts of the earth? What if instead of praying for God to end a particular struggle or suffering or persecution, we asked Him to help us to relate more to Christ and His sufferings (and maybe even asked Him not to turn down the heat until we do)? What if instead of asking God to make things easier for us to move around in the world, we asked Him to give us such courage that no obstacle, no matter how daunting, would stop us from going where He sends?
All this almost makes me cry because it makes me feel so convicted and ashamed. We have so far to go. Myself most of all it feels like.
--Guy