Suffering With A Purpose
Suffering With A Purpose
It is natural for us to resist pain. None of us seek out suffering or affliction, yet they are unavoidable parts of the human experience. If you haven’t faced them yet, you will. Suffering finds everyone in time.
But there’s hope: when suffering comes, remember that God is sovereign over it. He uses our afflictions first for His glory and then for our ultimate good, though patience in the face of pain is far from easy.
At some point for everyone, suffering will be our companion on the path to holiness. And holiness isn’t achieved instantly or without effort. There’s no “microwave holiness.” The strongest tools are forged in the hottest fires, and the most beautiful masterpieces require care, time, and skill. The same is true of our spiritual growth. Just as clay is molded by a potter, we are shaped by God—sometimes through the pressure and pulling that stretches us thin. It can be painful, but the Potter knows exactly what He is doing. The final vessel He forms will be beautiful. I say final, because as the children's song goes. "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be..." We are a work in progress.
Even when life feels chaotic, we can trust that He has a greater design in mind. And like a vinedresser, He prunes us, removing what is dead so that we can bear more fruit. Though the process of pruning can hurt, it is for our good.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that discipline is painful in the moment, but it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11). James tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which leads to maturity. "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:3-4). Suffering, though hard, is used by God to refine us, to make us more like Christ.
I was reading these words from Joni Eareckson Tada who compares God to a master painter, who uses both bright and dark colors in His masterpiece. The dark shades of suffering highlight the brilliance of Christ’s light in our lives. Even in our affliction, God is glorified, and His grace becomes more evident through our endurance.
Through suffering, we are reminded of our weakness and our dependence on Jesus. This world is not our home; we are pilgrims on a journey to heaven. Every hardship, every trial is shaping us into the image of Christ, making us more holy and more prepared for eternity.
So, when suffering comes, embrace it with patience. Trust in the Potter, the Vinedresser, and the Master Artist. God is working in your life, even through the darkest of times, to create something that will reflect His glory and your holiness.
Lord, help me to trust in Your sovereign hand, even in the midst of suffering. Remind me that You are working all things for my good and for Your glory. Give me patience and perseverance as You mold me into the image of Christ. Amen.
Credit: Ron Kelley
It is natural for us to resist pain. None of us seek out suffering or affliction, yet they are unavoidable parts of the human experience. If you haven’t faced them yet, you will. Suffering finds everyone in time.
But there’s hope: when suffering comes, remember that God is sovereign over it. He uses our afflictions first for His glory and then for our ultimate good, though patience in the face of pain is far from easy.
At some point for everyone, suffering will be our companion on the path to holiness. And holiness isn’t achieved instantly or without effort. There’s no “microwave holiness.” The strongest tools are forged in the hottest fires, and the most beautiful masterpieces require care, time, and skill. The same is true of our spiritual growth. Just as clay is molded by a potter, we are shaped by God—sometimes through the pressure and pulling that stretches us thin. It can be painful, but the Potter knows exactly what He is doing. The final vessel He forms will be beautiful. I say final, because as the children's song goes. "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be..." We are a work in progress.
Even when life feels chaotic, we can trust that He has a greater design in mind. And like a vinedresser, He prunes us, removing what is dead so that we can bear more fruit. Though the process of pruning can hurt, it is for our good.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that discipline is painful in the moment, but it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11). James tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which leads to maturity. "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:3-4). Suffering, though hard, is used by God to refine us, to make us more like Christ.
I was reading these words from Joni Eareckson Tada who compares God to a master painter, who uses both bright and dark colors in His masterpiece. The dark shades of suffering highlight the brilliance of Christ’s light in our lives. Even in our affliction, God is glorified, and His grace becomes more evident through our endurance.
Through suffering, we are reminded of our weakness and our dependence on Jesus. This world is not our home; we are pilgrims on a journey to heaven. Every hardship, every trial is shaping us into the image of Christ, making us more holy and more prepared for eternity.
So, when suffering comes, embrace it with patience. Trust in the Potter, the Vinedresser, and the Master Artist. God is working in your life, even through the darkest of times, to create something that will reflect His glory and your holiness.
Lord, help me to trust in Your sovereign hand, even in the midst of suffering. Remind me that You are working all things for my good and for Your glory. Give me patience and perseverance as You mold me into the image of Christ. Amen.
Credit: Ron Kelley
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