Suffering

I recently watched a video where the leader/teacher/pastor was consoling his people. “If you are suffering, then God is working something in you.” His words were meant to get everyone to keep hanging on. Keep trusting, keep on keeping on, if you will.

But as is often the case in the body of Christ we lump everything into a one-size-fits-all package. Let me explain.

Suffering in the New Testament as taught by the Apostles was a persecution because of their faith. Men and women who refused to worship idols, or walk in anything that would oppose their king were mocked. The name of Jesus brought men in contention with those of the world. They would be ridiculed, belittled, beaten, kicked out of their families, lose their inheritance, and even sometimes die. This was what the NT considered suffering. Rightly so, and if we as a body begin to refuse the ways of the world, instead of staying married to the world, we will return to the suffering as well. We are opposite of the world….

But so many in the church consider suffering as sickness, disease, death, poverty. These are not biblical suffering. These are the results of something.

Without getting into curses, etc. Most of what is considered suffering in the body of Christ today, is actually God allowing something to happen in your life. Why? Because you have something in your life that needs to be gotten out. The man at the pool of Bethesda was healed but Jesus returned and told him, ‘stop sinning or worse will come on you.’ And when Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant, the servant who refused to forgive his brother was turned over to the tormenters (demons) UNTIL HE REPAID THE DEBT.

In America we do not consider situations like this. We believe that God is love and always does what is good FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. But what was Jesus doing to the man at the pool of Bethesda? Warning him, why? Because he loved him. When my daughters were children they would try to stick their fingers or scissors or a fork in a light socket. I would smack their hands away; why? Because I loved them and knew that if they didn’t learn the lesson, then they would be hurt worse.

God, in his mercy will allow sickness and disease to come upon someone if they’re rebellious. It is God’s way of showing you mercy. I will cause you discomfort to get your attention. He did this to Israel as a nation. He would send marauders, or nations against them to get them to repent.

While if you are suffering, I hope it is because you’re living a righteous life so much that the world dislikes you. But if you’re suffering, and you KNOW you aren’t living uprightly, if you know he is not the first love of your life, then let the suffering turn you to him, for your suffering, your pain, your discomfort is a loving warning sign that something worse is on the horizon if you do not listen.

“Hearken to my words” God said.