Skip to main content

Blessed Suffering


              How can suffering be blessed?  There is one and only one way.  It is when you suffer while you love God.  In fact, Peter tell us that we are called to obtain the blessing because we do not revile when we are reviled.  Peter seems to assume that each one of us will have opportunities to follow Christ in the way of suffering unjustly.  Here are a few of Peter’s thoughts on the subject of blessed suffering: Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.  Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing….. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed (I Peter 3:8-9; 13-14).
              Laura Story wrote the words to the song: Blessings after her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and she was challenged by her sister to consider the blessings of her tears.  Why would her sister say something like that to her?  Perhaps she had known the blessings (like this beautiful best-selling song) that awaited Laura if she looked to God as loving her rather than seeing God as someone in power she had to convince to do what she thought was right!  This song describes what Peter longs for all Christians to understand about our lives.  The good and the bad circumstances of life are equally filled with blessings, though in Peter’s opinion, it seems more blessings are produced by the bad circumstances.  She wrote what we all feel:  

We pray for blessings. We pray for peace. Comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while, You hear each spoken need. Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things.
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

 Laura seems to have learned the lesson that Peter wants us all to know.  He wants all Christians to look for the blessings from the hardships that we face.  The blessings are there.  We just have to learn how to look for them.  It’s not natural to see blessings in harsh circumstances.  Our natural instincts are to cry for mercy, to demand that God change our circumstances.  We rail against God rather than throw ourselves at His mercy and open our eyes to where He supplies mercy.  Where are the hidden blessings from a God who offers deep and abiding love in the midst of allowing us to face harsh realities? Is the blessing believing in the love of God in spite of the difficulties of this life?  What other blessings can be found?  Spiritual growth, humility, longsuffering…need I list more?  Don’t miss your blessings as you suffer.


Copyright © 2016.  Deborah R Newman.  All Rights Reserved.  
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

                Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years?   Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me.   For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side.   I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind.   When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...
2 comments
Read more

Holy Saturday

Nothing is written about the events of Holy Saturday except Luke 23:56, “they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” These few words speak volumes about our life with Christ.   What was it like for these ladies to rest on the Sabbath?   They had watched carefully, they knew how quickly Jesus’ body was laid in the grave. The men had brought spices and linens, but they had little time to properly anoint this most precious of all bodies.   As the women watched carefully, they made mental note of the supplies that would be necessary to complete this sacred act of burial as it should be. They spent the last few hours before sunset to prepare the spices for this holy act of reverence. The Sabbath signaled the time for rest.   I’m sure they didn’t feel like resting, but by complying out of obedience they were probably served by its benefits.   Their minds racing from the horror they had just witnessed, at best they could allow their bodies to rest and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Effects of the Holy Spirit

The Effects of the Holy Spirit               Can you imagine that the very Spirit of God is given to humans who believe in God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection?  Just thinking about the Holy Spirit makes me realize that I can do better.  I am not left to my own resources when it comes to praying, having faith, obeying God, doing what He asks me to do.                 No one understands the depth of sin’s effect on a soul better than God.  Every action He takes has been to reduce the effect of evil that was unleashed into our world when sin was merged into His perfect universe.  We never saw it coming. Even Adam and Eve did not see what hit them.  God has counteracted with the effect of faith after sin by enabling sinners to be affected by His ho...
Post a Comment
Read more