Yesterday I felt a lot of heartache. My friend, Joe, was having surgery to determine the extent of his colon cancer. I called his daughter to pray with her and found myself in tears as we talked to the Lord about her Dad. Another couple emailed to tell me that despite our fervent and hopeful prayers, they were not pregnant. I cried again, I think as much in frustration with the apparent silence of God in that situation as over disappointment. Another call came telling me of a man who is compounding his pain with one bad decision piled on another. I cried again, saddened by his blindness, praying for the Light to dawn on him. By noontime, I got in my car and drove away from the church thinking - "No more tears today." But those who were suffering went with me, carried in my mind and heart. I remained prayerfully broken-hearted for much of the day. Is that a bad thing? Not really.
Providentially, my study of the Scripture for the day was 'on point' as we say. Here's the text - "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors." (James 1:2-3, The Message) That is quite true! Normally on a Wednesday morning, I would busy myself with finishing notes for the evening's Bible study class, answering phone calls, making contacts, writing letters; the stuff a Pastor does. Not yesterday! Several times during the morning, my heart became so heavy for those I love that I pushed away from my desk to walk into the hallway and breath a prayer; more like sigh really. Yes, indeed, my faith-life was forced into the open, my dependence on the Lord more obvious. The demand for prayer persisted even into the wee hours of this morning, when I spent time with the Lord- called from sleep by the urgency of lifting those who suffer to Him.
We're so enthralled with the beautiful, the whole, and the happy that we sometimes deliberately close our eyes to the presence of the disfigured, the broken, and the sad. "Don't worry, be happy!" goes the catchy tune which describes what many want as the ideal life - one with unclouded skies and endless laughter. But the Bible reminds us that there is something about those who are 'not perfect' (are any of us perfect, really?) that God can use to help us become kinder, gentler, and more loving people - if we let ourselves be touched by true need. Don't get me wrong. I'm not asking for cancer, nor am I romanticizing the pain of deformity or sickness! But I am believing what the Bible teaches - that suffering plays a role in pulling me to Christ, in making me a better person than I likely would be if I never encountered a tough situation or shed a tear.
Stan Guthrie deals with moderate cerebral palsy. In an article contained in July, '07 issue of Christianity Today, he talks about 'stumbling after Jesus,' describing how his disability creates opportunity for God's grace to be made known in the world. From that unique perspective his words about suffering carry a powerful authority.
"I worry about our society's desire to engineer trials out of existence. ...
The Christian life was never meant to be a cakewalk, discipleship requires suffering, and spiritual victory presupposes struggle. ...
Carrying the burdensome cross on the way to his execution, Jesus publicly stumbled and fell - a humiliation many of who are 'differently abled' are all too familiar with. ...
We must not come to abhor those who suffer nor fear the trials that inevitably come our way. They are, to borrow an old phrase, means of grace. Only through suffering, disappointment, and death - and the rude remarks of children - are we weaned from the love of this world. There's more to life than happiness."
Beware of those who claim that Jesus Christ exempts the faithful from all sadness. Reject the twisted doctrine that teaches that with enough faith you can erase all disappointment, claim your prosperity, and make God do your bidding! He is God, and I am not. His ways, are higher than our ways. Yes, we work to build His kingdom and defeat the Curse of sin and suffering through Christ Jesus- but along the way to Heaven we will encounter plenty of it; and God will use it to mature us, to grow us deep in faith, and to release His grace into our lives, which will make something beautiful of our lives, beyond what we could ever be apart from His grace transformations. A broken heart can be like a prism which breaks white light into a rainbow of brilliant colors. As the Light of Christ shines through us we will refract the colors of faith before our world.
Here's a word from the Word for your thoughts today:
"God opposes the proud but favors the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." (James 4:6-10, NLT)
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