Seeking God in Suffering – Hanging On By a Thread

Hanging On By a Thread

DAY 12 |  James 5:7-11

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. —James 5:11

A friend of a friend called me: “I don’t think I can do this anymore. Would God really want me to suffer like this, day after day, with no relief?” His illness was tormenting him, and he was looking for permission to end his life. He wondered if God would be angry with him.

Suffering is not God’s will. It is part of life in this broken world; God’s light has broken into the darkness, but we still long for the complete fulfillment of God’s plan. Jesus is coming again to restore every­thing. Meanwhile, life can be excruciatingly difficult, and we—as God’s people—are called to persevere. Hold on tightly to hope.

James reminds readers of the perseverance of the prophets and of Job, a man who suffered greatly when he lost all his children, all his possessions, and his health. Yet he did not lose hope or give up. God was there with him and eventually restored his possessions and gave him abundantly more.

The point of Job’s story is not that he regained possessions but that he persevered in his faith in God and that God demonstrates compassion and mercy.

This is the only reply I could give to the friend who was almost ready to give up: Your life is precious to God. Hang on until God says it’s time to come home.

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Jesus, you know agony and suffering, and you empathize with us when we struggle to face yet another day of pain and uncertainty. May we feel your loving arms surround us as we push forward. Amen.

//Reframe Ministries//


Seeking God in Suffering – Why Me?

Why Me, Lord? DAY 4 |  Psalm 103:8-18

[God] does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. —Psalm 103:10

Is cancer a punishment for sin? Does God authorize our suffering because we haven’t faithfully followed his law? This ages-old question plagues people who wonder if God follows a cause-and-effect policy: You sin, you suffer.

In the Old Testament we read of a man named Job who loses nearly everything but his life in a test of faith in God. Job’s friends accuse him, saying he must have brought this on himself by sinning against God. Job even asks God, “If I have sinned, what have I done to you . . . ? Why have you made me your target?” (Job 7:20). And God responds by showing him that God’s ways are higher than human ways.

The psalmist declares that God “does not treat us as our sins deserve.” Instead, God uses a sin-removal policy based on his everlasting love: God pays the price of our sin. If God let us pay for our wrongdoing, every living person would be stuck forever in a slimy mud pit of their own making.

Some people have come to me as their pastor, tearfully taking the blame for their own health diagnosis or life challenge. I have confidently assured them that God does not operate that way. Even so, when my cancer returned, I, too, wrestled with whether God was displeased with me about something. And God reminded me of his abounding love and grace that is greater than all our sin.
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Lord, thank you for your mercy, compassion, grace, and forgiveness. Your love is as high as the heavens. When we suffer, may we not doubt but stand firm on your promises. Amen.
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