Why Do We Suffer?

This was the devotion that I shared this morning at school with our staff.

1 Peter 1: 3-9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

My pastor in NY recently preached a message on 1 Peter 1 and suffering. In the past few weeks, 4 brothers and sisters have gone to be home with the Lord, I've experienced my own disappointments and broken heart over those who have fallen as well as my own in ability to measure up to God's standard (isn't it great to know that Jesus exceeds in every part of our life where we fail?!?), and dealing with my own mysterious "allergic reaction," which has become just a mess...

My pastor made the following statement in his sermon:

“Why do we suffer? It purifies our faith, makes our faith real, makes our faith authentic, and makes our faith genuine…it humbles us and weans us from worldly things…we suffer to help us look to heaven and to reveal what we truly love.” (Pastor Bill Devlin)

I was really stuck on the part “to reveal what we truly love.” When Christ was crucified, He cared only about submitting to the Father’s will. When Paul was imprisoned, his primary concern was the Gospel getting out.

What do we truly love? If we lose all our worldly possessions, if things never get better for us, if we lose our health and our hair starts falling out, we end up with no teeth, sick everyday – how do we respond? At your lowest point, what do you love? What do you cling to?

February 17 will be my 6 month mark of the beginning of my illness. I've been reflecting on how God has radically changed me through all of it. Having been at my lowest point and still feeling like I’m there, my answer to the question of "what do I love?" is Christ. How can it not be? Let’s look at who He is.

Philippians 2:6-8
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

-Eternally has been God, but did not cling to His equality (gave it up for a season).
-He renounced himself by becoming a bond-servant, submissive to the Father.
-He took on all human attributes – There’s nothing that we go through that He can’t identify with!!
-He humbled himself (birth) and further humiliated himself through suffering and persecution, ultimately dying a criminal’s death upon the cross.

Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

-Jesus is the perfect image of God and has been so from all eternity.
-preeminent position (1st born of all creation)
-Christ created and rules over all
-He is superior
-He created material/spiritual universe for his pleasure and glory.
-He sustains the universe and holds it together
-Serves as the head of the Church
-1st to be resurrected, never to die again
-Changes the sinner’s relationship to God - reconciles us to the Father!

If your life is going smoothly, you're not suffering, truly praise God for that! Give Him glory, because not all of us have it together. However, one day you will go through suffering and distress. As you suffer (or go through trials/turmoil/distress), you can trust the Lord because of who He is. God’s supreme power, omniscience, omnipotence, and sovereignty keeps you secure in Him.