Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. – 1 Peter 4:12-13
Recent shootings and burglaries have taken their toll: directly on the lives of the victims, as well as indirectly on the citizens of Indianola through the response of curfews, restrictions on gatherings, and perhaps a general sense of ominous risk and “senseless” suffering. Some console one another that the people of Indianola are better than what is represented by the actions of a desperate few. Regardless, as you hear of wars and rumors of wars, you might feel like we are suffering in this world. Fear can overwhelm us. How can you look differently at suffering?
This past Sunday, I preached from Daniel 3 on the religious oppression against three of God’s faithful servants: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These sufferers under King Nebuchadnezzar have had a longstanding impact on students of Scripture – my great-great-grandfather from northern Mississippi was named after one of them: William Meshack Abernathy. Why are these men so revered? In faith, they stood up to – and walked around in – the fiery trials imposed on them. They knew God COULD save them. They knew God MIGHT save them from the fiery furnace. They knew He WOULD save them for eternity. So, they served the one true God and refused to worship the false idols set up by an oppressive regime.
Paul Tripp’s book Suffering offers six biblical rationales for enduring fiery trials:
1) God Understands: Suffering is never abstract, theoretical, or impersonal. Suffering is real, tangible, personal, and specific. The Bible never presents suffering as an idea or concept but puts it before us in the blood-and-guts drama of real human experiences.
2) God Cares: Scripture never looks down on the sufferer. It never mocks the sufferer’s pain, it never turns a deaf ear to his cries, and it never condemns him for his struggle. The Bible presents to the sufferer a God who understands, who cares, who invites us to come to Him for help, and who promises one day to end all suffering of any kind once and forever.
3) The Rubber Meets the Road: The gorgeous, honest, and hopeful theology of suffering – a core theme of the redemptive story – places the believer in the context of Christ’s suffering.
4) We Receive Comfort: Tripp invites us to take this journey with him. His hope is that his book and the Bible can help you to find words for your struggle and rest in the midst of pain.
5) We Give Comfort: Tripp writes to help us understand the experience of others, to know what it is to love them, to walk with them, and to help them bear their burden.
6) We Gain Courage & Hope: We do not have to run from this topic. We can engage it with courage knowing that there is no valley of suffering so deep that God’s grace isn’t deeper.
Let me offer truth to help you explore: All of your suffering ends one day (1 Peter 1:6, 4:12-13, 5:6; Rom 8:16-18; Rev 21:4; Heb 12:2; Phil 2:8). God is not only able to guard you, but He also cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7; Matt 6:26). Suffering reminds us that we are at war (1 Peter 5:8). However lonely your suffering feels, you are not alone (1 Peter 5:7,9; Gal 6:2). God will not only take away your suffering but He will heal every wound and restore everything good forever (1 Peter 5:10; Psalm 16:11). This week, look at suffering through Christ’s eyes. Your suffering means that you are closer to the Suffering Servant.
