Dear Sister,
A Riddle: Job’s came in the form of destruction, loss of life, complaining wife, thoughtless friends, and illness. Israel’s came in the form of years of slavery in Egypt. Moses’ came with a stubborn people who desperately wanted to worship and trust anything but God. The prophet’s came with people not believing the Word that came from God. The new church had it come from the Roman’s, persecution, and fights amongst themselves. Have you figured it out what it is yet?
Affliction: Affliction is not a new thing. In fact, just after Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit in that perfect gift of a garden, affliction entered the world for evermore. The worldwide church experiences it today by being put in jail, being put to death, chastised, and being abandoned by friends and family. Each one of us experiences affliction as well, in one form or another.
Yet the words that Paul penned to the Corinthian’s so many years ago have not changed for us today: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself (2 Cor 1:8).” Wow, despaired of life! Have you ever felt that? I have! Yet just a few chapter’s later, Paul writes: “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy (2 Cor 7:4).” How can this be? How can we have joy in the midst of the affliction that we have had, have, and will have in this life? The Bible has an answer for this too. The Lord has given us an historical account of how to live with affliction.
“If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer (2 Cor 1:6).” We are not alone! We have a history of people before us who have been afflicted like we have and God has brought them through! In fact, Paul writes that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair (2 Cor 4:8).”
Why are we not crushed oh sister? Because Jesus has crushed Satan’s head! We win! Even in death, we win! We have Christ! We have heaven FOREVER! He took the ultimate affliction of sin and death on the cross so that when we trust in Him, believe in Him alone, our affliction ends with this earthly life. We are not crushed! In fact, the Lord uses the affliction in this life for our good and His glory! Look at Job! After all of his affliction, he came out knowing the Creator God in a deeper way. He trusted the Lord with everything in his life, holding everything loosely with an open palm knowing that all things are a gift from God. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21). His joy was increased through his suffering! What an odd equation for us! Suffering in = Joy out! Why? Because we grow in our trust of our sovereign Lord and we know that we have Christ in Heaven forever.
May we trust the Lord more in whatever form affliction comes to us sister. May we trust that we will not be crushed, that God has us, He knows what its like to be afflicted, and through Jesus, we have hope of no more affliction after this life.
Your Sister in Christ,
Colleen