Suffering

Recently I watched the movie Arrival, where one of the main characters, Louise discovers she has been given "the gift of seeing time differently", in other words, she can see the future. She sees glimpses of her own future throughout the movie. These glimpses reveal her marriage to a man who will leave her when she tells him their only daughter will die of a rare disease, and these glimpses reveal moments of life with her daughter from her birth to her death.

Even though she knows these things, Louise chooses to marry this man and chooses life for their daughter. She chooses to make herself vulnerable to the sorrow and suffering the loss of both her husband and daughter will bring. Why? My opinion is that even though she knows she will suffer, she knows she will also experience great love and joy.

I finished watching the movie with a hypothetical question:

If I somehow knew my future and could see the sorrow and suffering I would experience before I actually made the choices that would lead me there, would I choose that path? Would I choose to avoid the suffering and miss experiencing the love and joy as well?

It is human nature to want to avoid suffering. Naturally, we try to control our lives and protect ourselves from hurt, loss, and pain. We avoid being vulnerable with people and we build up emotional walls living on the offense.

As I considered my hypothetical question I began to think about an aspect of suffering that Jesus Christ's life here on earth demonstrated so clearly and beautifully.

I was drawn to take a closer look at suffering, to look at it, once again, through the lens of the Gospel.

Jesus knew His future.

Imagine Him sitting in the synagogue, from a young age, listening to the very scriptures that foretold His suffering, laying out His life before Him. He knew He would suffer and die a horrific death and chose to do so. He knew He would be betrayed, abandoned, doubted, and mocked, and He chose to love, teach, heal, listen to, eat with, travel with, and pray with the very people who would do these things. He sacrificed His life because He loved us! He desired that our hearts would be given to Him! He did this so whoever believed in Him, His death, and resurrection would be set free from the bondage of sin and accepted as a son or daughter of God! What amazing love!!!

In the women's bible study I attend, we were talking about the "cup" Jesus had to drink.

Matthew 26:36,39

"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane...

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

Jesus went to a place called Gethsemane to pray.

Gethsemane means press.

Jesus was in a place of extreme pressure. He cried out to his Father in agony, but ultimately he chose to obey his Father and continue in his suffering. "not my will, but yours." Jesus drank the "cup" of God's wrath. Since God is holy, he has to punish sin, so he poured out his righteous wrath on Jesus for the sins of ALL mankind. Jesus was separated from God the Father as He hung on the cross! He was completely and utterly alone!

Jesus knew He would face this separation from the Heavenly Father, but he knew it was the only way to restore mankind back to God, so he chose to suffer the wrath that was meant for us!

Jesus endured the pressing and accomplished God's purpose. He was victorious over death and He paid for the redemption and restoration of the souls of men.

Hebrew 12:1-3

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

Matthew 16:24,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Romans 8:16-18

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

1 Peter 4:16

"Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."

As followers of Jesus, we are called to fix our eyes on him, the perfector and founder of our faith. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our suffering, and follow him. We are children of God and heirs with Jesus if we endure the suffering that we experience when following him. We don't have to be ashamed of our suffering, in fact, we can glorify God through it.

These are only some of the scriptures in the Word of God that speak about suffering. As followers of Jesus, we not only can expect that because we live in a broken world we will naturally experience hurt, loss, and pain, but we also will suffer for the sake of the Gospel. We will suffer as we cling to the truth because we live in a world that calls good evil and evil good.

Let me say here that I certainly don't have all the answers in regards to suffering. I look to God's perfect Word. What I share with you today is what the Lord has been comforting my heart with and teaching me about suffering.

1. We can persevere in and through suffering with Jesus.

God promised, "I will never leave you or abandon you. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6), and David wrote, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;" (Psalm 23:4)

Jesus was the One who experienced utter separation from God the Father so we don't have to. The God, who holds the oceans in the hollow of His hand, holds us and helps us in our times of suffering.

2. We can be assured that God can use our suffering for His glory and our good.

Romans 5:3-5

"...but 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 into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

-Rejoice means to glory whether with reason or without

-Sufferings means pressing, pressure

-Produces means to accomplish, to achieve, to render one fit for something

-Endurance means steadfastness, patience

-Hope means the expectation of good, the expectation of eternal salvation

We can glory in the midst of our suffering whether we understand the reason for it or not because we know God works through the pressing to refine us, render us fit for His purpose, and to produce character in our hearts that reflects Him.

As we walk through the suffering with Jesus, trusting Him through the process, he works patience into our hearts that allows his character to be produced. This gives us hope for the suffering we will walk through in the future because we know that nothing is wasted with God. He causes beauty to spring from ashes. Ultimately we look forward to eternity in Heaven with our loving Father, where there is no sorrow or suffering. We suffer in this life, but for the joy set before us, we endure.

3. We have the promise of God's peace in the midst of sorrow and suffering.

Isaiah 26:3

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you."

-Perfect means whole, entire, healthy

-Peace means wholeness, safety, soundness

-Stayed means to lay or rest upon

As we rest our minds upon Jesus, His promises, and His love for us, and as we trust God in every situation, He brings wholeness, soundness, and healing to our hearts which are broken and bruised by the suffering.

Philippians 4:6-7

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

-Understanding means the faculties of perceiving and understanding

-Guard means to protect, to preserve

As we lay our anxiety at the feet of Jesus and thank him, he surrounds, protects, and preserves our hearts and minds with his peace; a peace that this world can not give; a peace that surpasses human perception and understanding.

Back to my hypothetical question:

I don't know what my future in this life holds. I haven't been given the "gift of seeing time differently" like Louise. I don't say this lightly, but chances are I will face more suffering. Even though I can't see what the future holds, I can trust Jesus, the one who does see my future and promises to be with me always. I can trust him because he knew all he would suffer and willingly chose to do so on my behalf. I can cling. to Jesus, my greatest Love and my greatest Joy, and I know that as I endure the pressing he will refine me and remold me for my good and for his glory.

One thing I do know for sure is this. I will one day step into eternity holding the hand of one who led me there. I will experience the fullness of Jesus' love, and the joy I live with there will far surpass any joy I experience here on earth. There will be no suffering.

This I cling to.

Blessings,

Amy