Wednesday 22 April 2015

Random Thoughts on Suffering


Of late I've been experiencing some form of a challenging situation. Well I'm convinced that it can very well be grouped under the label suffering though I am certainly not suffering like the Apostle Paul did let alone to the point of shedding blood!!. Now let me list out what suffering does to us?

First of all it ousts us out of our (complacent or) comfortable zone.
Second it brings us pain
Third it ushers in restlessness, anxiety
Fourthly it casts doubts about our future
and you can name a few more.

But the greatest ramification, as far as I am concerned, that suffering may wreak is to distrust God Himself and to delude us to play God in our lives. We audaciously begin to wrest the prerogatives of God in our lives and we rule instead. We feverishly run about everywhere to everybody other than God to receive help to salvage us and the situation as well. If God is ever cited in such situations or  we miraculously conjure up by ourselves the thought of God in that situation, sadly, our initial response is to question His motives on these situations.

With a brief on our initial response to suffering, let me move on to the real issue. More than the suffering itself the issue at stake is our understanding on suffering. In order to have a wholesome grasp on suffering, the only place that we can go to is the Scripture. We have ample examples from Scripture. We see Joseph unjustly languishing in prison. One Sunday evening when my pastor was casually sharing from his devotion time, he was saying that Joseph might have been confused about what was going on in his life. Yet he did not allow the circumstances dictate his course of action rather he trusted in God and stayed close to Him. One is reminded of 1 Peter 2:23 'When he (Jesus) was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly', when we think about how Joseph behaved especially with his brothers who were the real conspirators. While studying this verse as part of my Sunday School preparation, I spontaneously fell in love with this one phrase 'entrusted himself.' The word entrust literally means to give into the hands of another. It also means to give over into someone's power. I strongly believe each and everyone of us going through such torturous moments should ought to completely entrust ourselves into the hands of the righteous Judge. When this is done, we shall begin to experience an inconceivable peace in the midst of assailing situations. Our clouded minds shall also be cleared enough to see the perfect plans of God for those moments.

Suffering is a portion that God has ordained for each and every one of His called saints. Suffering is inescapable and indispensable in a Christian's life. We may really wish that it ended but we need a bit of caution and wisdom to really understand what we are wishing for. Suffering is God's classroom on spiritual maturity. Asking God to get suffering out of our lives is directly proportional to asking Him to stop transforming us into the image of His Son.  

I'm reading a book called The Portrait of Paul by Rob Ventura and Jeremy Walker. The first chapter titled 'The Joy of Paul's Ministry' deals a lot on Paul's dealing with his suffering. Here are some quotes:

'Joy, even in suffering, is a distinguishing mark of his character and ministry.'

'It is grounded in humility, for there can be no rejoicing in the heart of a man who thinks he deserves far better than what he receives.'

'Paul and Silas sit unjustly condemned, their bodies bruised and bleeding. They are unable to move or to discover a position that will lessen the agony. They are locked in a foul prison alongside others who probably deserved to be there. If ever men had reason to resent such unjust treatment, they did. But as we peer through the bars on that night, what do we find? “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” '

'Says G. Campbell Morgan, “Any man can sing when the prison doors are open, and he is set free. The Christian’s soul sings in prison.”[2] The church father Tertullian is even blunter, asserting, “Nothing the limb feels in the stocks when the mind is in heaven.”[3] Paul’s response under these rigors tells us volumes about this man and bids us follow him as he also followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).'

'We find Paul taking pleasure in his infirmities, not in the removing of them. The knowledge that when he is weak he is strong in Christ gives him great joy.'

'Paul’s abiding joy was not contingent upon his circumstances.'

'Are you ready to suffer? We do not ask you to invite or pursue suffering, but to remember that everyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). If we are faithful, suffering will come.' 

It will not be an exaggeration to say that Paul was literally enjoying his sufferings! And that is because he knows that Christ works for his good precisely in situations like those. One of the ways Paul recommends to have a deeper communion with God is to share in His sufferings (Phil 3:10)