Category: Affliction

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Affliction Seen

Dear Sister,

I found an unlikely source for this month’s topic: Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian maid in Genesis 16. When her name comes up, Abram has already been promised a son by the Lord, through whom the creation of a new nation would come. This son had not materialized in a pregnancy of her own, so Sarai determined the baby must need to come through her maid, Hagar. In due time, Hagar was pregnant and suddenly disdainful of her mistress. Sarai, whose objective was met in her maid’s pregnancy, was furious with her maid’s new attitude and treated her (with Abram’s approval) accordingly. So, Hagar ran away.

The Lord met Hagar in the desert and told her to return to her Sarai and submit to her authority. He said that Hagar’s descendants would be too many to count. And, He noted her affliction.

He did not take away her pain, trials, or frustration. In fact, He told her to go back to them and face them. He told her He was going to bless her with many descendants, but her son (who God called Ishmael: “God hears”) would be a man full of struggles.

Hagar’s story certainly did not have the fairy tale ending for which we have a proclivity. Her story was one of difficulty and disappointments—she never rose above her servant status; but then we read Hagar’s words in Genesis 6:13, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’” The Bible records an obstinate servant girl’s name for God! El Roi – God sees.

In the midst of our affliction, especially those of us who are believers—children of the promise through the blood of Jesus Christ—we can be confident that He is El Roi. He sees, works with and through our trials to bless us, to perfect us, to bring honor to His name through us. God does not idly flip through the channels of our lives, missing our pain. Rather, He meets us in our deserts, confronts us and blesses us even in the dust. He sees!

Running with you,

Rebecca

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The Variety of Affliction

Dear sister,

Affliction comes to us in many forms. It could be the loss of a loved one, the disappointment of a dream deferred, the ache of homesickness or the heartbreak of unrequited love. The longer we live the more kinds of affliction we experience and I would argue the more intensely we feel it cut into our bones.

Recently, I’ve been experiencing homesickness. More so over the past month than in the last seven months that I’ve been away from my family. Seven months? Has it only been that long? When I moved away for college it was definitely not this hard. But now, working as a young professional, everything feels so permanent.

This ache in my heart has never been so strong or so difficult to ignore. Did I make the right decision? Is this really where God wants me? How can I feel so alone when I’m surrounded by so many people?

During the time I was experiencing this hurt my church began a series on Job and suffering. One point that my pastor made rang particularly true to me. He said “In the midst of suffering we have the tendency to forget the bigger picture and believe that there is nothing greater going on in the world than our suffering,” and “suffering will cause you to doubt God and forget who He is.”

Wow. This was surely true of me. I had allowed my circumstances to cause me to doubt God’s sovereignty and goodness. All I wanted was for Him to tell me why this was happening and just fix everything for me so that I could be happy. But as Job waited for God’s response to his suffering, so I too was left without explanation or resolution.

As the series on Job progressed, I continued to hear more and more truths that I’ll admit I didn’t want to hear. I wanted to hear that it would be OK for me to run back home and “escape” these feelings of loneliness but instead I heard the words of the LORD to Job: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth…or who shut in the sea with doors…have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place…have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this” (Job 38:4, 8, 12, 18).

God is pointing out here that Job is out of his depth. He cannot possibly understand fully the ways of God. In chapter 42, Job acknowledges this saying, “Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

The story of Job leads us to this principle: knowing why we are suffering isn’t the solution to it. The better answer than why is Who. Remember in your suffering who God is. Remember His sovereignty and that because of it your pain can never be random or unexpected by God. Remember that He is faithful and will bring you through it.

For me this meant seeing a tiny glimpse of the woman I will be when I reach the end of this time in my life. I saw a woman full of greater faith than when she left home, who knows how to trust God in all circumstances and who has learned the secret to being content. That is, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In knowing that this specific situation is sanctifying me and bringing me closer to Jesus, I can sincerely rejoice in my momentary afflictions. I know that sounds strange, dear sister, but it happened! It really, truly happened for me and the Lord can do it for you too.

If you are enduring a trial right now, sister, you have a reason to rejoice. Do not cheat yourself from the sanctification that will result by seeking an escape route. But cling to the Lord and his promises. I know it hurts now but God will show you His faithfulness. I guarantee it.

“Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” –James 1:2-4

You may also want to consider Romans 5:1-5; 8:18-25; and James 5:7-11.

Under His wing,

Kayla

 

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An Odd Equation

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