Musing - Are You Prepared for Inevitable Suffering?

Hebraic Musing - Are You Prepared for Inevitable Suffering?

Peter warned us in 1^st Peter 4:12-15 of two types of suffering we can expect. 
(1) Be “joyful” when it is for Christ.  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,…”
And (2) he reminds us of the sufferings brought on by our own sinful behavior!  “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.”   NIV  
AND we also know (3) we can expect suffering coming by chance from the sinful world we live in. 

Therefore, recognize suffering as inevitable.  Although our daily lives are filled with blessings, both large and small, that allow us to recognize God’s love for us, sometimes bad things happen to us — whether it’s loss of some item, an illness, job loss or death of a loved one, etc.   And the list goes on… 

Sometimes the suffering may be a result of obeying a word from Our Lord!  We have a classic example of a “suffering servant” in the prophet Ezekiel when the Spirit of God spoke to him.  “He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’  As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.” — Ezekiel 2:1–2  NIV

Suffering, in all its various forms, is a universal human experience.  While there often is no answer to the question of why suffering exists, there is much advice given as to how we can respond to sufferings being experienced by others.  Our devotions explore how God comforts us, and how we can comfort others in times of suffering.  The question then becomes how to deal with our own sorrow(s)?

This is where Ezekiel comes in.  Before Ezekiel became a prophet, he was just another young man – from a family of Jewish priests – trying to find his way in a complicated world.  In those days, serving as a prophet for the Jewish people would not have been easy.  They were about to enter into one of the most difficult periods in their history as they witnessed the destruction of the Temple and experienced exile into a foreign land.

In fact, when God came to Ezekiel and appointed him a prophet to the Jewish people, God warned Ezekiel that dealing with his fellow citizens would be difficult – nearly impossible: “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words.  Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions.  Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them… ” Ezekiel 2:6.  So Ezekiel knew and was warned about that before he even uttered one word of God’s message to his fellow Israelites.  His role would change his life, and not necessarily for the better. 

Just as God gave Ezekiel such a difficult task, God also taught him the proper way to deal with suffering:  “Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you”  Ezekiel 2:1.  No matter what happens, God told Ezekiel, a person can always keep his or her pride and dignity.  As difficult as life may sometimes get, we can meet any challenge standing on our feet and doing our best to cope with the situation.

As we do this, just as God promised Ezekiel, He will watch over us and help us.  And Isaiah also knew this. “He will be the sure foundation for your times, rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”  Isaiah 33:6

Points to ponder

Since suffering is part of life, how important is it to learn how to deal with it?

Why did the Lord tell Joshua eight times “Be Strong and Courageous”?

Are you dealing with an “impossibly difficult” situation?
And we have to say “This too shall pass”.

Are you standing on a “Sure Foundation”?

♫ Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior; ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          September 3, 2019

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Note – Inspired and excerpted from Holy Land Moments (IFCJ email) “On Your Feet” July 26, 2019