Suffering is your friend

John 10: 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. AMPLIFIED BIBLE

You might find it curious that my blog title and the first scripture quoted, do not really seem to be a perfect match 😆, but if you are willing to listen and to meditate on the message, you might end up finding the secret door of hope and outcome that you have been praying for...

When we are faced with a challenge, be it a health- , financial- or emotional challenge, our first thought is surely never that "this is for our good". As a matter of fact, our general reaction is fear, despair and even anger with God. We label this as a "normal human reaction". Indeed, for any fallen, unbelieving human being this is a totally acceptable reaction. As a child of God, however, we should really ask ourselves where we are in our walk with God if these are the kind of thoughts and feelings we automatically revert to!

I am saying this as someone who has "been there and done that" for the biggest part of my Christian life. Untill some time ago.

Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I have, and have had, my deal of suffering, ranging from physical and psychological abuse (during a previous relationship that lasted 7 years) to financial stress and a variety of health issues, including diabetes Type 1 with insulin dependency. I know what suffering is about. I have had so many pity parties in my life, I can write a book about it ! 😂

To me, receiving the revelation that suffering was, indeed, my friend, was... a game-changer!

It all started when Holy Spirit started downloading revelation into my soul regarding the verse in Romans 8:28:

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. AMPLIFIED BIBLE

(Please take a moment to read the words that I have underlined in the above verse, they are important)

If you are anything like me, you would have doubted, at some point or another, how true this verse can be? How can we be expected to endure pain and hardships and still believe that God is using it for our good?

To illustrate our lack of perspective : Imagine that you are standing before one of these huge paintings of old, as we find in the Louvre and other art museums. If you should go stand right in front of the painting, almost pressing your nose to it, you can appreciate the whole painting to just about to the same extent as your current capacity to evaluate your own life and God's involvement in it. To truly appreciate the painting, you have to "zoom out" several meters, from where you will be able to see the "whole". Our problem is that we have no capacity to "zoom out" of our lives. There is only One who can, and He is the one who promised us through Paul that all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

Now imagine that God is watching your life in the same way, knowing exactly what is about to happen and what the enemy is planning. Do not think for one minute that He is anxious about what is going to happen! No, He already has a plan that will cause this evil event to work together for your good.

The problem is that we choose not to believe this, and that our lack of trust (confidence) in God often shuts the door through which His counter-attack was supposed to come through...

Remember Hebrews 11: 6

But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. AMPLIFIED BIBLE

God, in His great mercy, overrides our lack of faith many times. As a matter of fact, if our eyes would be open to see the unseen world, we would be amazed at the number of times that the enemy has tried to take our life, but found his plans thwarted by angelic forces. The events that do filter through are much less in number than what would have been the case if Grace wasn't active in our lives.

God is not only all-knowing, but can be in control of every detail of our lives - IF we let Him. We are living in a world governed by evil and as long as the church does not exercise her rightful authority in Christ to subdue evil, we will remain under constant attack by evil forces. Whether this is going to defeat us, or strengthen us, is a matter of choice : whether or not we will trust God!

If you still doubt why God even allows challenges to come our way, remember that it is in overcoming a challenge by trusting God, that our faith increases. You can almost say that suffering is a blessing in disguise, because in the end it brings you closer to God.

Do I still have diabetes? Yes. Do I still have financial challenges? Many. But I choose, with every new challenge, to trust that God will work it for my good. Since, I have not only started to experience many miracles, but I can feel my soul growing and prospering and I enjoy an intimacy with god that i have never had before.

Truly understanding how all of this fits together, is part of a journey, and nobody can do it on your behalf! What I pray for, however, is that this post will at the very least trigger the process in your spirit that will bring you to that place of abundance that is yours to walk in!