08262023 Praying in Suffering - Time Context

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our God, who knows the end as well as the beginning. He is working everything for His grand eternal purposes. Following is the next section in my study on praying during suffering.

Category Eight – Time Context

“The God of all grace … after that ye have suffered a while” (I Peter 5:10). “Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6-7). Suffering is temporary. These two verses refer to suffering as being for a little while. After the time of suffering, God intervenes. That is often during this life (5:10), but many verses refer to results that come only in eternity (1:6-7). Even when we find relief in this lifetime, it seems that such relief is minimal, almost inconsequential, in comparison to the results that must wait for the next life.

“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (II Corinthians 5:4). The suffering of this life is inescapable, as we live in a world of death, but all the suffering will disappear when we reach the world of life.

“Knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:34b-36). While this passage refers primarily to enduring in the faith (in the face of suffering), it clearly teaches that something better than this world is coming. One aspect of that is the crown that will be bestowed. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

Sometimes the relief itself will not come until the next life. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (II Thessalonians 1:7). Certainly, the fulness of rejoicing and glory will be seen only in eternity. “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:13). “Also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (I Peter 5:1b).

It isn’t just that eternity will finally yield an aspect of relief that we will not find in this life, but there is an incredible magnitude to that eternal relief. When we finally see the ultimate deliverance, none of our current suffering will be worth another thought. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).

“Father, help me to keep the proper perspective between the temporal and the eternal. Although I pray and long for deliverance now, help me to be willing to wait if that is what You decide. Help me to remember often that my suffering is never empty, but also to remember that the greatest glories of deliverance will come only in eternity. May I be encouraged with the assurance that some day my suffering will be swallowed up by unimaginable glory.”

May God bless you as you serve Him today – on the way to eternity.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

08192023 Praying in Suffering - Filters

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the One who does all things well. What a privilege and blessing it is to be able to put our complete trust in such a God! Following is the next section in my study on praying during suffering.

Category Seven - Filters

In the midst of suffering, our entire existence seems to be centered around the trial. It consumes our thoughts. Our thoughts can be easily influenced by our emotions. Our jumbled thinking is complicated by the advice and input of others, which unfortunately are not always all that Biblical. This particular category deals with mental filters - Biblical thoughts that provide perspective and focus.

Filter #1: My situation is not different or harder than what others have endured. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (I Peter 4:12). “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (I Corinthians 10:13). “Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (I Peter 5:9b). We should neither think, “I can’t believe this happened to me” (“Why do these things keep happening to me?”) nor “I’m suffering more than anyone else I know” (“I’m suffering while no one else is”). “Father, help me to remember that suffering is a normal part of life and that You have delivered many others from similar situations.”

Filter #2: As a Christian, my response should be different. “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings” (II Corinthians 6:4-5). Paul had numerous opportunities to respond to suffering, and he wanted his response to be appropriate for a servant of God.

That godly response is not angry retaliation or attack. “Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we intreat” (I Corinthians 4:12b-13a). That godly response is not fear. “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled” (I Peter 3:14). That godly response is not despair. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:8-9).

A godly response is one of hope, knowing there is an answer. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). A godly response is one of patience, quietly enduring as our Savior did. “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not” (I Peter 2:19-23). “Father, may I demonstrate that I am Your servant, as I respond not with anger, fear, or despair, but with hope and patience.”

Filter #3: My suffering links me to my Savior. “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24). “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:13). Our Savior suffered, and we share in His mission and in His experience as we also suffer. Both Peter and Paul teach this, and both men mention rejoicing because of the shared suffering. Perhaps this is because it helps us toward the desired end, “That I may know him … and the fellowship of his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). “Father, may I be content to suffer for Your sake and in order to develop a stronger connection with my Savior.”

Filter #4: God has divine purposes for my suffering. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. … but he [chastens] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” (Hebrews 12:7a&10b). “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4). There is always a reason for my suffering – a good reason and a divine reason. We must remember that suffering is not just something to get through, but rather a process that is bringing about definite results. “Father, help me to be confident and rejoice in the assurance that there is purposeful meaning in my suffering.”

Filter #5: I can trust God for how this turns out. In a specific scenario, Paul expressed his willingness to let God take care of the outcome. “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works” (II Timothy 4:14). Jesus Himself had this same attitude and action, trusting His Father to do what was right. “But committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:23). We don’t always know what the outcome will be, but we can trust God to help us exit and to take care of any ramifications. “God is faithful … will with the temptation also make a way to escape” (I Corinthians 10:13). “Father, help me to fully trust You to bring this difficult situation to the exact solution that You have determined and to properly tie up every loose end.”

God bless you as you serve Him this week.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

08122023 Praying in Suffering - Sin

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our gracious God who is so patient with us! Following is the next section in my study on praying in suffering.

Category 6 Regarding possible sin

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:15-16). I’ll try not to go beyond what I understand about these verses. Some of the confusion lies in the words “save” (v. 15) and “healed” (v. 16). Both of these words can refer either to physical healing or to spiritual healing. Both types of healing are included in these verses. There is clearly physical illness (“sick” – two different Greek words in v. 14 & v. 15) and physical healing (“raise up”). There is clearly spiritual sickness (“sins,” “faults,” & “confess”) and healing (“forgiven”). The sins are not universal for every case of sickness (“if he have committed sins”), but the verses seem to suggest a reasonable possibility that the two (sins and illness) are often linked. Prayer is the procedure in both cases.

Suffering is often linked causatively to sin. The Old Testament, (Deuteronomy 28, as an outstanding example; Proverbs; Hosea 8:7), speaks of and illustrates the cause-and-effect relationship so often that it was a major plank in the Jews’ worldview. Job’s friends assumed this was the case in his suffering. Jesus’ disciples assumed it was the case for the man born blind (John 9). Even the New Testament does not abandon this connection. (James 5:15-16; James 1:15; I Corinthians 11:30).

The Bible also makes it clear that illness (or other suffering) is not always the direct result of personal sin. It was not the case for Job. Regarding the blind man, “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him’” (John 9:3).

How often is suffering related to personal sin? Only God knows. I doubt it is 1%. I also doubt it is 99%. As humans, we can have some pretty diverse evaluations. Regarding ourselves, it is natural to want to believe that it is not sin in our own case. In fact, my personal tendency is to acknowledge that suffering can be because of sin, (since the Bible teaches this concept), but that it probably is not the case for me or for anyone I know. Others might go to the other extreme, assuming that sin is involved in most cases, maybe even having an opinion of what the sin is, or experiencing torturous guilt as they seek the sinful root in their own situations.

I think the bottom line is that we can’t make assumptions. If God says that sometimes sin is not the cause, then we can’t assume that is always us, and if He says that sometimes sin is the cause, then neither can we blindly assume that it never is. If there is a correlation 50% of the time (my made-up number), someone has to be part of the 50%.

For what it’s worth, here is some of my evaluation (opinion). I believe that God’s tendency is to use extreme measures only when they are called for. It seems that many of the severe judgments of God are for obstinate, flagrant, rebellious behavior by people who refuse to walk in His ways. He is doing what is necessary to bring them back. If this is the situation, the person suffering probably is not in the dark as to what his sin is. I doubt he has to search diligently to discover some minor issue he has overlooked.

For those who want to automatically assign sin as the reason for suffering, they are forgetting that God also uses suffering for purposes other than judgment. For people who are generally trying to follow God, His molding and guiding does sometimes involve suffering. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2b). But in the life of such a person, God is using the suffering for good. The New Testament is filled with teaching about this process of maturing and purifying through suffering, as well as glorifying Himself.

My conclusion then is that 50% might be close to the right number, but those 50% are most likely to be found in rebellious or wayward Christians who might not even be in church. This is why it makes sense (in my opinion) when I theorize that sin is not the cause for the suffering of most people that I know, people who are actively in church and who are striving to please and follow God. Nevertheless, this concept is taught in the Bible and should be considered as we pray during suffering.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The marathon, or obstacle race, that we run is difficult enough without carrying sin that would trip us up. “Father, help me to be willing to lay aside what I know is wrong so that I can follow You effectively.”

“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Hebrews 12:5b-7). The word “chasten” can mean discipline/training as well as punishment, but there is at least an implication of wrong-doing. “Father, help me to receive every bit of discipline that You deem appropriate. May I take it seriously and not give up because of it.”

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (I Peter 4:1-2). “Father, may the suffering purify me and change my priorities, so that I live from this time forward in a manner more pleasing to You.”

“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). What a wonderful truth this is! We are not alone in our struggles. It is not just that Christ helps us to conquer temptation, but that He understands what it is like. “Father, may I lean faithfully on Your compassionate Son so that I do not fall in temptation.”

“Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. … Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3b&6). While Job’s suffering was not because of his sin, he did not live perfectly through his suffering. He admitted that his lack of understanding led him to say things he should not have said, and he repented. For many of us, this is probably the most applicable. There are sins that are such looming temptations in the midst of suffering. Our desire might be to “handle it” perfectly, but reality is so far from perfection. So as we progress through our suffering, we must be willing to say, “Father, I’ve fallen again in this situation that is too much for me. Forgive me.”

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Because it is possible for sin to be divinely addressed through suffering, and because it is possible for us to sin while we suffer, it is necessary to ask God to reveal to us when we have sinned. Only as we acknowledge and confess can we truly see our heart’s desire of shining for God through our suffering. “Father, help me to see where I am wrong. Help me to lay my faults aside and to follow Your perfect way.”

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

08052023 Praying in Suffering - God's Work

Dear Missionary Lady, 

Greetings in the name of the God who has done everything for us. He is so great that He is worthy of everything that we can possibly do for Him, and He is also so great that He is able to use everything for His great purposes. Below is the next section in my study on praying in suffering.

Category Five - God's work

Paul reminded Timothy that the life of a soldier is not easy. “Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. … Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds … therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 2:3,9-10). Paul counted suffering as an expected part of his service to his Master, and he was willing to endure whatever was necessary in order to carry out his orders. “Father, as I seek to serve You in the mission You have given me, help me to endure so that the task can be accomplished.”

Jesus Himself suffered as He “endured the cross, despising the shame.” He had a mission to accomplish for His Father, and He looked toward “the joy that was set before him” at the accomplishing of that mission (Hebrews 12:2). If all that we do is in order to accomplish the desires of God, then there is joy that will come when it is done. “Father, my job is nothing like the job Jesus had to do, but I still desire the day to come when there is joy in the fulfillment of that task, joy that will swallow up all the suffering.”

Sometimes God uses our suffering to create opportunities for the gospel. In speaking of an intensely difficult time, Paul focused on the result. “That the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God” (II Corinthians 4:15). In Galatians 4:13-14, Paul discloses that his illness created the opportunity for him to share the gospel in Galatia. Philippians 1:12-18 reveals another example. The difficulty of Paul’s imprisonment had “fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel,” as it publicized Christianity and emboldened others to share the gospel. Likewise, the gospel came to the Thessalonians in the context of “much affliction” (I Thessalonians 1:6). “Father, I would love for my suffering to be a platform for others to come to know You.”

Peter teaches that the way Christians handle suffering should be different from the way unbelievers handle it. The difference will be sufficient that we can anticipate curious questions. “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:15). Going through suffering is an opportunity to exalt Christ as our source of help. In the context, this is focused toward unbelievers, but the challenge is to be ready to give the credit to God. “Father, help me to be prepared and quick to speak of the difference You make in my suffering, especially for the sake of the gospel.”

Regarding his personal “thorn in the flesh,” Paul shares a positive result. “That the power of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:9). He recognized that all his weakness and suffering was “for Christ’s sake” (12:10). Our weakness is the perfect platform for God to display His divine strength, and there is comfort in knowing that our suffering is for His sake and therefore has meaning and significance. “Father, for Your sake, please allow Your strength to shine forth through my weakness so that people can see how great You are.”

Paul commended the Thessalonians for their response to suffering. “We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure” (II Thessalonians 1:4). Although their situation was not easy or pleasant, their response of faithfulness was one that encouraged many others. The prophets and Job were additional examples “of suffering affliction, and of patience” (James 5:10-11). Thousands of years later, God was still holding Job forth as an example to encourage others. The Old Testament stories serve as examples for us, and God can likewise use us as examples to encourage others. “Father, I don’t usually feel like I’m doing very well at this, but I pray that somehow You would use my example and testimony to encourage others in their walk with You.”

Peter shares a sobering result of suffering. “He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (I Peter 4:1-2). This is not to say that someone who has gone through suffering is now sinless, but rather that his purpose in life has dramatically changed. The time of suffering serves to adjust the priorities and appetites, so that the formerly-sought pleasures of the flesh have been tossed aside in exchange for a devotion to live for God. “Father, may this experience of suffering sober me to realize what is really important, and may I henceforth be much more focused on serving You than on my own pleasures.”

The writer of Hebrews recalls the faithful servants of God that suffered and sometimes died as they served and followed God (Hebrews 11:35-40). These faithful, approved servants “received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” God’s work was being done through those martyrs. Their lives, with the suffering, made a difference. Those suffering saints, however, did not live to see the impact. They were faithful anyway, and their suffering mattered. “Father, even if I never see with my own eyes the good that You are doing through my suffering, help me to be faithful and to trust You to accomplish Your work through me.”

Peter shares an incredible consequence of our suffering. Although we are “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” as our faith is “tried with fire,” this can “be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6-7). Although we will receive eternal reward after our lives with their suffering, I believe that in the day when Jesus is revealed, all the praise and honor and glory will be directed toward Him. What a wonder this is! Something that is so hard for us can be the source of honor to our Savior! “Father, as I go through this testing of my faith, may the refined result bring praise and glory and honor to You, both now and in eternity.”

It is all for Him! May God strengthen you this week to move forward in His work to His praise and glory.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA