Suffering: How Do We Respond?
6 "Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.
7 Surely, O God, you have worn me out;
you have devastated my entire household.
16 My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes;
17 yet my hands have been free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
Bee's Thoughts:
The cry of Job had been mine too in the past. In my darkest moments, I too questioned God, "why me"? I felt life had not been fair to me... or rather why did God allow me to go through those sufferings? Somehow, I would hear the small still voice telling me that God had a purpose for me in my life. I didnt leave God. I found strength to move on.
I realized that in sufferings, God would mould our character and test our faith in Him. No pain no gain, as the saying goes.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for seeing me through all my sufferings. Thank You for giving me meaning in the things I went through. At times when I felt there is no meaning in livng, You gave me the reason to live. May my life continues to count and makes a difference to someone's life. Let me be a chaneel of blessing to someone today.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Tommy's Thoughts:
Like Elihu’s explanation to Job’s suffering in latter chapters, suffering is God’s way to teach, discipline, change and refine a person. Through suffering, one’s loyalty and faithfulness to God will be tested. Thus, suffering can either break or make us depends on our reaction towards it.
It breaks us when we see suffering as an unjust act of God based on our own law of fairness that is higher and more absolute than God. We become hardened and reject God altogether with this attitude, closing our selves for changes God wanted to bring into our lives.
It makes us when we acknowledge God himself is the standard of justice that whatever He does is fair according to His moral perfection, even if we don’t understand it. We should respond to suffering by trusting God for who He is, and not what He does.
Dear Father, thank You again for teaching me the right perspective on suffering in this fallen world. Teach me to trust in You knowing that You can bring good out of all calamity.
Lord, guide me also to turn to You for wisdom, understanding, endurance and deliverance. Also, I pray you will make me more aware for those who are suffering, that I’ll be a good comforter and cares for their needs. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
