Avoiding Suffering
Trying to avoid suffering is a natural reaction. The problem is that we are going to find ourselves in the middle of trials no matter how we try to avoid them. We don’t go looking for trials but we’ve also got to realize that God can see us through them. I can walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death as God leads me but I hope I never find myself in that valley apart from God’s leading. If you have the poor judgment to wander into a trial then remember that God is the one to lead you out and you’ll still grow in the process.
1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4:19
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
It is important to remember that God does not tempt us to sin. A trial is not a temptation to sin. We are tempted when our sin nature seeks some gratification or pleasure apart from God’s gracious provision and leading. The enemy of your soul can be involved but ultimately your sin nature is where the fight is centered.
We may sin in a trial but God has purpose in those trials. We are called to entrust our souls to Him and continue to do good in the trial. That means we can sin in the midst of a trial by lack of courage, impatience, anger toward God, etc; however, the trial doesn’t tempt. Trials call us higher while temptations call us lower. God uses trials in our live but temptations are just our corrupt sin nature. Trials work virtue into our lives but temptations lead away from virtue. If we are in training for an athletic event, a coach may use severe trials to build us up. Lance Armstrong would ride some of the worst climbs in the mountains on his bicycle multiple times in one day getting ready for the race when he would only do it one time. The coach wouldn’t offer days off as a training technique to see if we would take them. I think we want to have high 5s all around when we pass on a temptation to sin as if we have gone through a great trial.
There are real trials out there to train us to accomplish great works. We need to know Scripture when we are tempted with questions such as the ones that Morley outlines in which we question God and His motives. One of the things that we learn in trials is to not question God and Him motives. He knows the plans He has for us. Plans to make us whole and give us a future. That is the truth (Jeremiah 29:11) and yet, when we are young in God, we’ll think He has forgotten us and doesn’t have a plan.
Morley has a list of 7 things that might result in suffering in our lives and only 1 of the 7 is a legitimate test or trial of our faith.
1) The Innocent Mistake – Sometimes we have an accident and nobody did anything wrong. We can suffer sometimes and yet God can use it for good and He will lead us from that point forward.
2) An Error in Judgment – In this case we actually make a mistake and suffer for it. We violate a guideline and get burned. I liked the statistic that Morley referenced stating that 50% of cosigners on loans end up repaying the loan themselves. An yet a portion of that 50% may still be doing what God led them to do.
3) An Integrity Problem – Sometimes we sin and suffer for it as we have violated the law of God or sometimes the law of men.
4) The Environment Changes – This is much like the innocent mistake but laws and rules change and sometimes we get caught by them.
5) Evil Happens – There are bad people in the world and sometimes we suffer as a result.
6) God Disciplines – Sometimes we suffer as a result of discipline from God for doing wrong. As God’s child you can expect Him to be active in your life.
7) God Tests – These are the trials that are more precious than gold because they purify us and prepare us for eternity.
In all cases our response and behavior in the midst of the trial is important in our relationship with God. Suffering doesn’t automatically produce maturity or insight. I remember when I first found out that I had rheumatoid arthritis (which is currently pretty much no problem at all) I was questioning God about why and how it would affect my life. Lance Armstrong had recently come out of near fatal cancer and so I read his book, “Its Not About the Bike” looking for maturity and insight. Well I didn’t really find any.
Morley outlines some common responses in the midst of suffering:
1) We plead with God’s sense of fairness to give us a break
2) We compare ourselves to other people and argue with God
3) We pout about our situation in anger against God
4) We shout about our situation in anger against God, and
5) We doubt God, His motives, and His ability
It is right to pray for deliverance. Most of us don’t need to be told to pray for an end to suffering in our lives. After that we need a real peace of mind to know that God hears and has a plan. Also we have to know that God is not without sympathy for us in the midst of our trial.
I think perspective is also a strong motivator. We know that we’ll be spending eternity with many who have really suffered for Christ’s sake. Others in this world and in the last few years have lost their lives, family members, jobs, property, etc. While we don’t go looking for things like that to happen to us we need to have a deep respect for brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution and remember them in prayer.
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