Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
This verse is so important and beautiful, but it's filled with complexity for a lot of people. When you see that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, that includes things that are painful. That includes things that are hard to walk through or deal with. That also, of course, includes beautiful things that are exploding with rejoicing and joy. That includes everything. All means all when you read it in Scripture. So, you can see the complexity in it right there. How can things that are terrible, things that are beautiful, things that are hard, and things that are easy all work together for good?
The Role of Suffering
There's a word that is used in this chapter of Scripture very often when you read through it. It's the word suffering. Suffering is not our favorite thing to talk about as human people, because our natural instincts, understandably, are to avoid suffering at all cost as often as possible. We are not given over to suffering as an enjoyable or welcomed process.
Biblically speaking, suffering is an important idea that, to be completely honest, I and many others like me have under-appreciated in my journey with Jesus for a long time. If you did a word study in your Bible of how often the word suffering is found in the New Testament, I think you would be surprised to see how often it's there, because suffering is actually an essential part of the journey with Jesus.
That might actually be a little striking for some of us to hear, because we know that Jesus brings new life. We know that Jesus brings healing and forgiveness. We know that Jesus is a Redeemer and a restorer. When we think of Christ, when we think of Jesus as the salvation of the world, we think of things that are positive and good and beautiful.
Jesus Promises Trials
The same Jesus who brings salvation and healing, who delivers and rescues and brings us out of death, tells us in matter-of-fact terms that in this life there will be trials or suffering. Jesus Himself tells us that there is an expectation for His followers to experience suffering in their life. Now, you would think that the Savior of the world would want for there to be an elimination of suffering, that immediately, as soon as we start following Him, there would be no benefit to us having to go through hard things.
What's really incredible is we see through Scripture time and time again that it's through suffering that we are formed and shaped and made into the image that God intends for us to fulfill here on earth. Ultimately, through our suffering, through our brokenness, our dependence on God is heightened, elevated, and accentuated. As we grow more dependent on Him, we lean on His way, His will, understanding what He would want. Ultimately, our life brings Him glory and honor.
It's hard for us to get our minds around how suffering can be a good thing, but friends, take heart. Our present suffering, what we're walking through now, will ultimately pale in comparison to the joy of being with Jesus for eternity into the future, forever.
