PERSEVERANCE in SUFFERING
James 5:10-11 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Is there purpose in our suffering? When adversity strikes, it can be hard to find meaning in it. And so we don’t understand the “why”, but we can focus on the “what”.
What God develops in us through suffering can bring us hope and strength in the journey.
In the 1990s, an experiment called The Biosphere 2 attempted to re-create optimal earth conditions artificially. One reason the experiment failed was that they could not recreate wind in a controlled environment.
As a result, trees grew quickly but kept falling over. Without a breeze and storms, the trees couldn’t develop a strong root system.
Persevering through suffering helps us develop strong roots in God. Moments of desperation and pain remind us to dig deeper into God’s Word and His presence.
Even though it’s tempting to desire perfect conditions in life, perfect conditions don’t build character. Without adversity, we become like the fragile trees in the Biosphere experiment.
Romans 5:3-4 we “are to glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope”.
I know, the process of maturing and growing is not fun, but it helps us to become stronger which happens through suffering.
Hebrews 5:8 “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered”.
Our God did not make Himself distant or immune to suffering; instead, He gave us an example of how trusting and obedience is developed through it.
So, let’s thank the Lord for giving us strength in every battle and for helping us to grow and mature through every season of suffering.
And ask him to use the trials in our lives to build character, trust and obedience.
And to allow our lives to be an example of someone firmly planted in God through every storm.
Questions:
In what ways has God grown and matured you through suffering?
How does the life of Jesus inspire you to respond to suffering?