“Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised.”
+Joni Eareckson Tada
Gospel Hope for Hurting Hearts
Hannah Jones, daughter of one of my former professors at Southern Seminary, is in the hospital on a ventilator due to the corona virus as I am writing this. Things are up in the air for her. Asking for prayer, this seems to be what’s keeping her afloat. These are indeed challenging times for many people. How could God allow such suffering? Maybe you’ve asked yourself this question. My pastor preached Sunday morning on the purpose for trials. He said, “The only way out of a trial is through it.” He made the point that one primary way God keeps you in Christ is through suffering. Finally, we are to be joyful, be understanding, and be patient during trials. These truths were a reminder for me to trust God and allow Him to mold me in Christ-likeness into the person He wants me to be. I think of Hannah, on a hospital bed, and how God is caring for and shaping her as a person. A hopeful message in an uncertain time, it gave me the spiritual boost I needed. Where is our hope?
Suffering Has an Expiration Date
One noted truth we need to remember is that suffering has an expiration date. The particular pain you are feeling, no matter the degree, has an expiration date. It will come to an end. We won’t see an end to suffering in this life until we reach glory. Furthermore, we won’t be free from suffering until we pass away or until Jesus returns. Our citizenship is in heaven, Paul writes, and from there we await a Savior (see Philippians 3:20-21). We are just sojourners on this barren path longing for home. Just think of the day you close your earthly eyes and wake up to see the awe-inspiring, all-consuming, soul-satisfying glory of God. King Jesus will make all things right one day. Sickness, disease and death will be wiped away, crushed and defeated. No evil thing, no virus will have any place in the new heavens and the new earth. The light of the sun and moon will be extinguished as the glory of God will light the world (see Revelation 21:23-24). One day. Until that day, we wrestle with the uncertainty of sickness and shelves void of necessities. Here are some action steps to take while we wait for our blessed Savior’s return.
Action Steps
- Pray that you be faithful to Christ while you wait. It’s easy to get impatient and want an end to our pain right now! But God doesn’t work on our time-table. His sovereign hand has planned the most significant and seemingly insignificant moments of our lives to the smallest detail. This includes our suffering. Pray while you wait for healing, fixing your heart and mind on the Healer as the object of your faith.
- Pray for God’s healing for the sick and strength for care-givers. Let’s pray that God specifically heals people who are sick, by name, and takes care of those who are on the front lines, by name. People need our prayers. Let’s give it to them! God promises to hear and answer our prayers according to His perfect will (see James 5:13-16).
- Worship, don’t worry. Worship begins with humbly admitting our need for God. We do this through prayer and most resolutely by reading and obeying the Word of God. There are several passages of Scripture which combat the relentless waves of worry. Take one and meditate on it, praying that God changes your heart. Here is one as I conclude. Pray this back to God right now. God be with you in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
+Psalm 27:1
*cover photo by David Pentek
Leave a Reply