The Blessings of Suffering

The Blessings of Suffering
inspired by and largely taken from J. Oswald Sanders, A Spiritual Clinic

Did  you ever wonder why there is pain and suffering in the world? If you haven't, then you haven't really lives yet! Everyone experiences pain and suffering. It goes along with life.

I have been reading Providence by John  Piper. One thought he shares that I had not considered is that in a world without suffering, Jesus could not have gone to the cross. Without Jesus and his accomplished work on the cross, made possible because suffering exists, I would be forever separated from God. God's eternal plan was to redeem us through the suffering of Jesus. Let that sink in. Suffering is a necessary component of salvation.
Does that put your suffering in a different light?

But, we still want to know why WE need to suffer, right? That's not so easy for us to take.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Paul gives us a glimpse of his own growth regarding how to view suffering in this life. His lesson centered around a specific "thorn in the flesh" that God had given him.

Paul pleaded with God for release but God left that prayer unanswered. Have you ever been in that position? Sure that God needs to grant your request for the good of your ministry, your health, your sanity maybe.  I like the way Sanders talks about this aspect.

Paul "had not yet learned that there is no such thing as purposeless pain to God's children."
This is part of our issue with God, right? We want to know WHY. And we want to know now.  It is hard for us to see how any pain or discomfort is justifiable. 

"Although He did not answer the specific words of his request, He did respond to the cry of His heart. Paul's deepest desire of his heart was that his ministry would not be hindered by this thorn. God answered by assuring him that his ministry would be enriched if the thorn remained."

Maybe our struggle with the thorns in life is that we are often more concerned about our comfort than our ministry. Our heart is not aligned with the heart of God so we pray at cross purposes. Augustine wrote,:
"We ask for strength that we might achieve; we are made weak that we might obey. We ask for health that we might do greater things; we are given infirmity that we may do things better. We ask for power that we may win the praise of men; we are given weaknesses that we may feel our need for God. We ask for all things that we may enjoy life; we ar given life that we may enjoy all things."

What did God give Paul in order to balance out the thorn in his life? God gave His all-sufficient grace.  Sanders writes that our thorns " are blessings in disguise if they cause us to lay hold on God's sufficient grace." Where the world will tell you that you must endure those things that can't be taken away or cured, Paul states that he will boast in his infirmities, understanding God's all sufficient grace and the glory that God receives through them.

God promises that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Not in our strength. Not in our success in life. Not in the praise we receive from men. But in our weakness.