Where is God in the midst of our sufferings? How can sufferings help us know God better?
Human suffering has the power to either 'break' or 'make' a person. Either they become 'bitter' or 'better' persons, depending on how they respond when pain and sufferings comes. Either we draw away from God or draw near to Him in faith & humility, trusting Him for hope and help in times of need.
I believe there are different views on Human Sufferings.
- GOD: "Does not hinder people from honoring ME!" I find it very inspiring to know how God chose to believe in man's ability to choose to love & trust in spite of sufferings.
- SATAN: "Breaks man's faith in God's goodness!" Satan believes that sufferings can cause people to doubt in God's goodness & reality, drawing them away from knowing God & trusting Him!
- The BIBLE: " Is necessary for life!" Many of the views above (except God's view) are either wrong or incomplete. Today we are blessed that we have Bible heroes never had - God's Word! The Bible is given to each us and help us understand God better & prepare for sufferings.
OUR CREATOR! It was HE WHO MADE US! All throughout his sufferings, Job acknowledged that God was his CREATOR even though his severe sufferings caused him to become bitter towards life, and even made him wished he was never born! He even thought that death would have been better than life! That is why when God finally showed up to confront Job, He bombarded him with a lot of questions concerning His created world, overwhelming Job of his ignorance! That is why when God asked him,'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?' (Job 38:4), it was reminded Job of His sovereign power and providential care over ALL of His creation.
We should be reminded that our God understands us and knows us better than we know ourselves all because it was He made us! He knows our thoughts, our desires, our struggles, and our pain! He made us and our created world, knows all that is happenings, and deeply cares for all He has made! So when we go through sufferings, let us intentionally look around our world and remind ourselves of how ALL-powerful our God is and yet so personal to each one of us! He knows! and He cares!OUR ADVOCATE!- HE IS FOR US! In his pain and anguish Job declared, "Even now my witness is in Heaven..." my advocate is there on high.' We need to understand that during Job's time, Jesus Christ has not yet come into our world! Job even did not have a Bible or even a fragmented of it! All he had was oral traditions about God and his personal understanding of Him! Yet in his fading faith and desperation, he declared and called out for his advocate 'somewhere out there! ' He was hoping that somehow someone would come and help him! The word 'advocate' is the same as the word 'Paraclete' which means 'Comforter, Counselor, One who appeals, supporter, helper, and friend'
Friends in our sufferings and pain, our God is with us! He is for us because He is our faithful friend! He promised not only to help us but to be with us! We have JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT! He believes that we can overcome our sufferings! I am reminded of the old yet beautiful song/poem 'FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND', reminding us that He is with us and will faithfully carry us through life!OUR MEDIATOR - HE STANDS FOR US! Job cried out. Job felt alone and miserable even as his 3 closest friends who came to comfort him ended up condemning him! He desperately needed someone who would defend him and represent him before God. This was all that Job asks of God! So when we suffer today because of our sins or our stupid decisions, we have Jesus to help us and reconcile us back to God! Jesus is the ONLY MEDIATOR we have and will ever have in this life!
OUR WITNESS!- HE IS WITH US! Not only is God for us, nor will He just Stand for us, but our God is with us as well! All throughout the pains, trails, and sufferings in life, Jesus Christ is our faithful witness who knows, hears, and sees all that we go through in life! Nothing that we suffer and go through life is hidden before God! He is aware of all that we go through in life! We should be grateful that we serve an OMNISCIENT GOD! He cares for us, will speak positively on our behalf & will see us according to what He has already done for us!
OUR RISSEN REDEEMER! - HE OVERCAME FOR US! In the midst of His painful sufferings, Job declares, 'But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He will stand upon the earth at last...' (Job 19:24-27). 'I wonder how Job could have said this? Could it be desperate, delirious babbling of a troubled soul? Could he say this just out of his anguish, hunger, and thirst? I would like to believe that it was because of his desperate faith in God! That even when all hope seems gone, his body was rotting away, and his life slowly fading towards death, somehow he "knew that 'His Redeemer lives' " and that he would someday see him with his very own eyes! Job deeply longed for this!
Today as I proceed, it is very inspiring that even hundreds of years before Jesus Christ came into our world, the book of Job already contained 'glimpses' of Christ! Out of his desperate cries brought by his extremely painful sufferings, Job longs for God to personally help him. These portraits if Christ gave him the hope he needed to survive from his day to day struggles. And as Job struggled and survived through his may sufferings, he emerged stronger as he now has a deeper understanding of God! So I pray that we would find God'' in the midst of our sufferings and receive the grace, hope and help we need.
I read from Job 2:3 - Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?" There is no one on earth like him; he is blamesless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."
'Where is God in the midst of our sufferings?'
[I find CHRIST in JOB's sufferings]
Friends, as we go through different sufferings in life, let us never forget that we can find God even in the midst of our sufferings! In fact, our sufferings can be a way for us to all the more get to know GOD and be more intimate with Him! He is our CREATOR, our ADVOCATE, our WITNESS, our MEDIATOR, and our RISEN REDEEMER! We should have all of these hopes and knowledge of God, even when we did not have the certainties we should desperately cry out for! This makes me wonder how God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus must have felt while looking down from Heaven, and watching as we cry out desperately to Him in faith!
In our sufferings, we are to firstly PURSUE with God. Suffering is not and should not be an excuse to draw away from God, rather it should draw us even more close to Him! We can know God more intimately even in the midst of our sufferings by daily taking the time to seek Him in prayer and in reading His holy Word. Secondly, we should pursue INTEGRITY before God by honoring Him with our lives by responding positively to challenges in life! We should allow sufferings and trials to make us better persons with clearer perspectives, like gold refined through the fire! Thank God for helping us to find Christ! Amen!
