Grace in your Suffering

"There's a benefit to suffering? Really Evan?"

I can hear you all saying it! But hear me out. This is something that has been on my heart for a while now and I am glad to be able to finally write on this sore subject. In a world of "victorious Christian living" sometimes we confuse ease with success or the way things are supposed to be. When in all actuality, suffering is another form of grace that the Wonderful Counselor pull from his toolbox to make us more like Him.

1. Suffering Prevents Conceit // 2 Corinthians 12:7

It can be easy as believers to become self-reliant because of our prosperity, skills, pride, or knowledge.

Our neediness for God can go out the window. To draw us back, God may introduce an instrument for the production of humility.

Why would God do this?

Because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” James 4:6.

God takes no pleasure in opposing His servants, but He will do so if it is necessary.

2. Suffering Portrays the Sufficiency of God’s Empowering Grace // 2 Corinthians 12: 9

Second, God gave Paul his physical trial to demonstrate the power of grace: “he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you’”. Paul understood that God’s grace not only saved him from the eternal punishment of his sin but also empowered him for Christian life and ministry. Through Paul’s affliction, God painted a portrait of His sufficiency.

3. Suffering Perfects the Power of Christ // 2 Corinthians 2:9-10

The term “made perfect” means to fulfill or bring to completion.

“My power is made perfect in weakness” means that the power of Christ is fulfilled, through weakness, not strength. When hardships arise we are given the wonderful opportunity to be faithful and choose to respond with Christ-likeness. This is grace because we can now turn from our wickedness and be like our savior.

Without Paul’s thorn in the flesh, the glory of Christ would have been minimized in Paul’s life. That’s the opposite of how we naturally think. We think physical or intellectual disabilities, heartache, stress, anxiety, and suffering equal limitations.

Not a chance in God’s program!

Instead, they actually lead to greater glory, because the vessel appears inadequate. Thus God receives more glory.

There is Hope // 1 Peter 2:18-23

Jesus hears your cries. he sees your pain. he understands your suffering.

Jesus was faced with the most heinous and unjust death possible.

Jesus paved a path of how to entrust ourselves to our heavenly father.

Because of the cross, we can now have joy, peace, rest, wholeness, and fulfillment in the here and now.

We have the wonderful future hope that all suffering will cease.

Questions to Consider:

What does your heart yearn for on a daily basis?

What do you do when life is overwhelming?

How can we glorify God in the midst of our thorns?

how was paul content in his weakness?

how do you view your suffering?

how do you think God is using your hardships to mold you into his likeness?

For further reading, I highly suggest "Three Benefits of Pauls: Thorn in the Flesh"