Unlimited: You Can Get Through Suffering
Dec 18, 2016 1239
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10).
Christ could stand the terrible pain because He knew God was there. He rested in the fatherhood of God. It is true that at one stage the agony of the guilt of the world was so terrible that He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Think on some of the events that happened at the Cross. Jesus was like a guilty prisoner at the bar. He had our sin upon Him as He bore the guilt of all the world. He was suffering an infinite amount of pain. In those six hours, He experienced what was due to everybody ever born.
Jesus suffered the agony of separation from God. Jesus endured hell qualitatively; an infinite being suffering infinite pain to atone for the sin of the world.
It is not wrong to ask, “Why?” Jesus cried, “Why?” And there will be times when we will ask the same question. But we must move on to, “Father, into your hands I commit my life.”
If we can say, “My God,” in the midst of our pain, we will survive. If we can take hold of the God that seems to be thrusting us away we will survive. When we bring God into our darkest depths, it brings light upon us. – Desmond Ford
Eli’s Reflection: Have you been able to get through a really difficult time by acknowledging God’s presence in the midst of darkness? What was that like? What did you learn? How can this help you prepare for the next time you have to go through suffering?
Leave a Reply