On a night over two thousand years ago our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, journeyed into a garden with several companions. This was no ordinary garden. There was an olive press, surrounded by gnarled olive trees, but it would not be the tender fruit that would be crushed that night, but the spirit of the Son of God. He would not just suffer but would agonize over the mission at hand, the horrific events yet to come, and the torture that his spirit, mind, emotions, and body would endure.
The overwhelming load of all of humanity’s sins were upon Him. It would be one of hell’s most triumphant hours, appearing to be a victory to all those who witnessed it in both the human and spirit realms. Humanity would join in the hellish celebration, destroying the flesh of our Savior, mocking His royalty, and scorning His power. When Jesus died, by all external evidence the bad guy had won the battle. But that was not the end of the story.
Jesus endured, persevered, and overcame the agony of the Garden and of his death (which lasted for only a short time) for the glory of the cross, which we know is eternal. When we received Christ as our Savior, we made a vow, a covenant, to become one with Him and His sufferings. In essence, when we accepted Jesus as our Savior we said the very thing the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”
Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are to be exempt from suffering. As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples that the world would hate the, that they would be “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt 10:16). They would be arrested, scourged, brought before governors and kings, and accused falsely. Even their loved ones would persecute them. The apostle Paul had a lot to say about believers’ suffering. He made it crystal-clear that being a child of God means that we will endure difficulty on earth. In Romans 817 he tells us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”
Paul was not a sadomasochist. He knew the secret to suffering; that suffering on earth is only for a season and that believers will join Jesus’ glory, promise and resurrection for eternity. He also knew what Jesus proclaimed time and time again through His life on earth – that when we die to ourselves and our own will, we enjoy eternal life on earth; that in the midst of turmoil and heart-wrenching chaos, we can attain God’s peace; that when we are faced with physical death, we receive eternal life and that in the midst of grappling with sorrow, we find intimacy with God. These seemingly contradictory statements are complex to the finite mind and offensive to those who are perishing spiritually but are soothing to believers. We have comfort, rest, and hope in Christ regardless of our circumstances.
When I think of about suffering and the Bible, I think about Job, who was delivered into the hands of Satan to prove he was not serving God simply because God had blessed him (Job 1:8-12; 2:3-6). Consider for a moment what Job went through: Satan accused Job before God (1:9-11), took his worldly wealth (1:12-17), and killed all his children (1:18-19). He struck Job with boils and sores (2:7) and caused the shedding of bleached skin, fever, and chills (30:30), intolerable itching, swollen limbs, ulcers that bred maggots (7:5), halitosis (19:17), choking, corroding bones, diarrhea, feelings of panic (21:6), depression, and terrifying nightmares that led to insomnia. Job’s wife ridiculed him and encouraged him to curse God (2:9), and his friends accused him of sin that he had not committed (4:8). In response to all of this, Scripture tells us that Job prayed (10:2), praised God (10:8), and prayed some more (13:20). He hoped in the Lord (13:15), trusted in his Redeemer (19:25), and proclaimed God’s righteousness (Job 23).
I’ve received numerous e-mails and comments about these blogs and I always enjoy hearing from you. I’ve noticed that the number one issue you’ve been reaching out to me with is prayer for a difficult circumstance you’re going through; a broken heart, a past that haunts you, the loss of a loved one, a husband steeped in pornography, and alcohol abuse are just a few of your struggles. I want to encourage you do that which Job did; pray, praise, and pray some more; hope in the Lord, trust in Him and proclaim His righteousness, and like Job, you will be called righteous. Rest now in the comfort of God’s wings and call out to Him, for He is listening...and yes, I am praying.
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