“[God]
comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are
troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For
the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort
through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles,
it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we
will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we
suffer.” (2 Corinthians 1:4-6 NLT)
Have
you ever been through a time where the pain of a situation appears so
overwhelming that any thought of a bright future or even the possibility of
being normal again seems impossible? I have.
Throughout
my life there have been several episodes of absolutely dark and seemingly
impossible circumstances that I wasn’t sure I would/could survive. The reality
is that I obviously did survive but I was never going to be the same again
after having experienced those moments.
Some
lessons in life can only be learnt on the anvil of suffering. Life isn’t always
going to be parties and celebrations (therefore my idiom about beer and
skittles - for those who come from a different age bracket). Some of the
greatest character shaping of our lives happen during moments of helplessness,
sickness, the death of a loved one, tragedy and loss.
I
remember during one of those moments in my life feeling like something inside
of me had collapsed and the ruin of it would never be rebuilt. It felt like I
was unable to register anything else going on around me because the pain of the
situation was so traumatic that my ability to function in anything other than
survival mode was not possible. Have you ever felt that way?
I
think Jairus felt his world was
collapsing as he pleads with Jesus to come and heal his 12 year old daughter.
She is close to death (and we know she actually dies before Jesus gets to his
house) (ref Luke 8:40-56).
Moses must have felt like that
when he led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt toward their land of
promise. Three days into their journey the people who had lauded him as their
saviour were now grumbling and literally dying of thirst. On the horizon the
call comes that an oasis is nearby and the people run to the waters of Marah
only to find that they are so toxic that if they were to drink, they would get
sick and die (ref Exodus 15:22-23).
I
think of King David as he and his
men return home to discover that their enemies have raided and destroyed their
town, captured and taken their women and children into slavery. David had been
the hero of his troops, he’d been the champion that had killed Goliath, but
this changed things. His men were now ready to kill him. Open revolt was about
to break out (ref 1 Samuel 30: 3-6).
During
the worst of these moments, we can either discover God or run from
Him. Jairus sought Jesus out. Moses
cried out to God. David found strength in God. Their stories end with God creating
victory from the jaws of defeat. And from our Scripture in Corinthians, these
trials have a purpose. God hasn’t abandoned you, nor did He punish you but He
is using this moment to build something in you that isn’t possible to do in any
other setting.
I’m
praying for you to have the courage to believe in Him today. Life isn’t always
beer and skittles but the Father is always the same.
Jim
Jung
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