On The Joy of Suffering

Today in Church, we were reading through Acts 1-2.  The speaker was drawing parallels between the birth of the first Church and Old Testament prophesies and during this he threw out an interesting tidbit in Acts 1:8  "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.. to the end of the earth."  The first is this:  the word "power" comes from a base word that can also be translated as "dynamite." Secondly, "witness" is derived from a word that is translated "the one who dies for his faith" or a martyr. It is incredible that these words are paralleled for each other.  Christians, are in a sense, created to suffer.  From the birth of the first Church, until now, suffering and martyrs have been a key component in the life of a follower of Christ.  We suffer.  

But here is a key to the joy that a witness contains.  With the gift of the suffering, we have also been given the gift of "dynamite!"  Charged with power from the Holy Spirit, we can suffer with joy, we can "be witnesses to [Christ].. to the end of the earth."  Boldly proclaiming Christ because we have been empowered to do so.  

While in America, physical tribulation has not yet occurred, this does not mean that we no longer suffer.  When I chose to become a follower, I chose to submit myself to the painful process of perfecting in Christ.   I yielded my rights of the flesh and chose to be given a new {body+mind+soul}.  From that day forward, God began His perfect work in me, and trust me, at times it isn't pretty! 

Every year, every time I expect life to get better, it doesn't.  With each season, the battle between my old self and my redeemed spirit seems to rise.  Cross-roads, choices, decisions and goodbyes.  Who am I?  What do I believe?  What will I choose? 

This is all part of the process that I signed up for when I decided what my passion would be.  However, I missed the memo on suffering.  Who would have known that God is willing to bring me to the end, [like the fraying, dry rotted end] of my rope so that He can fully reveal Himself to me?  I would have never believed that I am stubborn enough to run to the end of the rope, jump, slip, suddenly grasping for dear life.... and then see His glory shine?  

Why must I suffer?  I think this quote from John Piper captures the point to suffering:

 "When everything in life is stripped away except God, and we trust Him more for it, this is gain and He is glorified."  This is the glory of the Christian. When He asks for everything, {everything} and still we trust Him to satisfy all of our human needs, all longings from our bleeding hearts, then He is glorified and we have just fulfilled the meaning of our very existence: Christ is glorified and we are satisfied. 

Easily said but not easily done. This winter on New Years Eve, a group of friends were having a time of worship and testimonies.  As the room filled with the first notes of "Blessed Be Your Name," and I was desperately trying to think of something good to say about how much I loved God, and how amazing my life was because of it (even though I knew deep down that at that time my life was not good and there was no way to twist or manipulate situations to make it look good and like everything was fine) suddenly, I was alone, in the dark and I knew that I was in the presence of the King.  The room was dark.  I could see nothing.  Kind of like how my life had been going.  I knew that Jesus must be leading my life, but I couldn't see Him.  Now, I stood in His throne room, in utter darkness and quiet, singing:

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be You name
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name..." 

As I came to the lines "and blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering.. blessed be Your name.." my heart poured out everything and gave it again as an offering of pain and suffering.  I laid that offering in the dark.  My heart bled and bled, knowing that He had already taken everything away and I was just re-affirming that I wanted it that way.  Worship poured from my soul and tears began their decent.  At that moment, I knew what my testimony would be.  Lousy as it sounded, I stood before my friends, with the taste of the bitter dregs of the cup of suffering still in my mouth, and I did not give a "one time Jesus taught me such-and-such and now I'm so happy" testimony.  Those who heard it probably did not know the depth from which it came, but it was my vow to God, that I would continue to bless His name.  He is faithful.  Even during the blackest, darkest summer, fall, and winter of my life, when I could not see purpose, order or good, when I could see nothing {darkness} I knew that He was faithful. Without a doubt, as blind as a legally blind person, I stood there and testified that, although I could not see why, when I couldn't even see God, I knew that He was there, simply because His promises are true.  I knew that He is faithful so therefore, I knew that He would one day show Himself strong.   "I cannot see, I do not understand.  Even still I know that He is faithful."  

Four months ago, that was as far as my heart could see.. I know that He is faithful.  Well, faithful for what?  Then yesterday, I came across these verses and they answered my question.  

"...The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ... and our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will be partakers of the consolation."  

What a promise!  "You are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will be partakers of the consolation."  This was the end to my sentence "He is faithful... to be there during the suffering and then to comfort after the suffering."  Consolation=comfort and Jesus is the "God of all comforts."  Therefore, we who suffer by His hand, shall also be comforted by His hand.  In the suffering, we can find joy because we know that we will then partake in the consolation.  

~What wondrous love is this?~