Our Father's Perspective on Suffering

I have recently read numerous non-credible blogs and articles on the issue of suffering. Each explained thoughts and quotes of who they recognized as credible sources on the issue of suffering. Most of what I read consisted of corrupt views of where suffering comes. This leads to a corrupt solution of how to not only view but handle suffering. This in turn manifests the lack of power in the lack of comfort that has plagued the majority of the Body of Christ.

The view held is that suffering originates from God Himself; therefore, the solution is God has some intended purpose in each suffering I go through. Each take the liberty of interpreting God's purpose(s) for them or lesson that is to be learned. It can be interpreted that the reason they are going through suffering is because they're in sin and God is trying to weed out of their life. This not only takes the cross out of the picture as the source and means of complete forgiveness, justification, but also the means of destroying sin in the body. God has dealt with your sin once and for all at Calvary, He does not deal with it by making you suffer; this would be extremely contradictory and go against His Word. It also makes God's purpose of "dealing with sin" subjective instead of objective. This is one of the many problems for godly comforting to take place from God's Word and through others understanding suffering, to be able to recognize we all go through sufferings. When this understanding from God's word is working effectually in us, it allows for mutual comfort to take place. A one mind in suffering and comfort is and should be one of the hallmarks of the Body.

This is not the case. Paul teaches that the cause of suffering was a result of two things: 1) sin entering the world through Satan and man's belief in his (Satan's) word, and 2) Gods response to the "unwilling" creature (heavenly places) and cursing of the earth. God however from the beginning never had any intention of leaving the whole creation in the bondage of corruption, so He subjected the creature also in hope. The earnest sure expectation of God to deliver it from the bondage through the end result of glorifying His sons. Therefore, until that time the creature would and could only operate under that bondage of corruption; meaning the end of its' duration would be worse then its start and actually; it would progressively get worse culminating in an act of God's deliverance which will perfectly coincide with the manifestation of His sons in glory. This is what we experience. Suffering is not a result from specific sin in our life for He has dealt with everyone of your sins already, but rather a consequence of the fall that already took place and the subjection of the creature in the bondage of corruption. The sufferings of this present time are due to sin in general. There are many sufferings that are common to all man. The death of a loved one, disease and health issues, natural disasters, car trouble, loss of a job, etc. These things happen to both believers and unbelievers alike. They are the result of the overall curse of God's creation that He subjected it to. All of creation is under it and experiences it usually on a daily basis. The bondage of time every one experiences. Many of the little trials we experience such as car trouble, house problems, your iron breaking are the failure of man-made devices and things, not God's chastisement; yet, so many will interpret these things as God's attempt to teach something through individual interpretation. Why is it that these things happen to both believers and unbelievers, but then when one becomes a Christian some sort of spiritualized interpretation of events is formed? "Well maybe God is showing you this?", "Or maybe God is showing you this?", "Maybe God is trying to stir you up a little bit to get back on track?" Which one is it folks! The interpretation of sufferings is sickening leaving it up to private interpretations (not of God; having a view of sufferings from His Word), either from the person going through the suffering or outsiders.

A lot of this confusion comes from not "rightly dividing" this issue. God simply dealt with suffering differently in the OT with the nation of Israel, compared to how He deals with suffering today with the Body of Christ. In the OT He would sovereignly intervene and physically remove Israel from suffering or He would let them suffer to teach them lessons of their disobedience to the law. This is what He does to children and Israel was just that. Today, however He has sovereignly intervened by the completing of His Word and its' effectual ability to strengthen the inner man, the capacity it never had before due to Israel being under the law, which dealt with their flesh. Now, His word deals with our spirit and soul. The sufferings of this present time happens to all mankind. God's word teaches us this so we think we are special and make a private interpretation of what we are going through as if God is teaching us something. Our Father will teach us from His Word and His Word alone. He has in fact taught us how to view sufferings. God has given us His completely sufficient word to teach us and no where does He instruct us to discern a suffering to show us His will in any way, shape, or form. Rather, God tells us in His word the exact opposite.

Today, God doesn't remove us from sufferings like a Father would remove His children, but rather allows us to go through them in order to prove and make manifest the strength, might, and power of His word working in our inner man. He treats believers today as a Father would treat mature sons and daughters, giving opportunity to manifest there maturity, gained by their Father. The strength of enlarging us so to speak in such a way that not only gets us through the suffering, but in such a way that we become "more than conquerors" by them. A power that produces patience, longsuffering with joyfulness. An attitude that glories and rejoices in tribulations; knowing that God's grace is manifest when we are weak. The might and ability to be troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. It is the capacity to have the treasure of Christ dwelling in our earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

See, when we walk in this evangelical view of suffering and make private interpretations of why is God doing this, we miss out on the opportunity of manifesting the glory and excellency of manifesting the ability of God's word working within us. We miss out on realizing it is not God who is trying to teach us a lesson in the suffering, but rather the suffering comes and God wants to show His power, strength, and might in how one goes through it; how one is enlarged to not only bear it, but to go through it and come out of it as a "more than conqueror" rejoicing because even in the tribulation or suffering God's grace is sufficient.

I understand suffering is hard and understand people have gone through worse things than I, I understand and know trials and tribulations await my life from the fact of God's word explaining the sufferings of this present time, but this does not change the truth of God's word. I understand we are to mourn with those who mourn. I don't believe their shouldn't be crying for a lost loved one or that one can't rejoice when they are crying; however, the private interpretation of sufferings must stop and the faith in God's word to have it unleash its' power and light in the darkest hour needs to be made manifest unto God's glory. I have experienced this a little bit, and get tastes of the capacity and grandeur of God's word and it is excellent and magnificent and every other big word you can think of. It is worthy to boast of and way more worthy to experience than to write a blog about.

We are to have an attitude like the Father's; one that glories in our future glory with Him. When our perspective is after the heart of our Father and we become "like Father, like son" we too will hope every day no matter what each day brings, looking and hoping for the glory that is to be revealed in us, which will deliver the creature from the bondage of corruption. If we are truly persuaded like Romans 8:38, then nothing can separate us from our Father, and we can have the attitude and confident assurance that Romans 8:28-39 is to produce, so that, we can say we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS though HIM THAT LOVED US. If, Christ suffers (not for redemption) today (Romans 8:17) and we are to suffer with Him, and if the creature is waiting for a specific deliverance, and if the whole creation is groaning and travailing, why do we look for some kind of deliverance before the time appointed. If, the Father's goal is to be godlike (godliness), think like He thinks, act like He acts, and co-labour in His business, to be conformed to the image of Christ why do we try to alleviate ourselves from suffering and not rather look ahead for the manifestation of the sons of God when all the groaning will end. Why are we not rather rejoicing, why are we not persuaded that God's Word can do what it says it will do and today that is not to be delivered from the suffering, but with the hope revealed in Romans 8 and those words working in us be able to glory in any situation. This is what suffering looks like today and it is what every believers attitude ought to be. Join with the Father and the Son in having an attitude and hope that stabilizes and does not move, allowing for rejoicing and gain to come from every suffering.

One may be thinking, "easier said then done, Josh, you don't know what it is like to go through suffering" and maybe your right. Usually, a conversation like that leads to an explanation of suffering just for the heck of it and no edification, no mutual comforting, and no rejoicing comes from it; yea, rather a dramatized story so that someone can feel sorry for them. I just pray and what I guess I am saying is that there is no "reckoning of the sufferings of this present time not being worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"; taking place in the Body; rather desires of healing and a divine intervention to remove us from situations. There is not an overriding issue of glory that drowns out all the sympathy of someone. Suffering has no weight, no value compared to the glory. In fact, the glory is so grand, so excellent that I should not even be writing this blog. There is no comparison, yet why do so many and even I at times give time, dramatize our suffering to get sympathy and not rather point to our hope, point to our glory and have abounding thankfulness in suffering, so much so, that suffering is not the focal point, it is not given time and it become drowned out by our hope. This is the wonderful, beautiful design by our Father, what a beautiful provision to provide a hope that drowns out and doesn't even allow for the comparison with sufferings.

How awesome would it be to hear the mutual comforting and mutual edification between Christians today? To have saints weep with others and be understanding, but able to give Romans 8 HOPE and especially for the one who weeps to take it by faith and be completely comforted and edified that they draw every tear, every heartfelt emotion, every hurt feeling into the perspective of the Father of future glory and rejoice and glory in their suffering. HOW VASTLY DIFFERENT IS THIS THEN ASKING FOR HEALING? We are talking about great power, great might, great genius, great provision from our Father. To have a saint ask another saint to pray for deliverance from a suffering and the one saint know exactly what they mean, that is, for the saint going through the suffering to be able to by faith mind that Christ is suffering today, mind that we have something so much better to have our affection on, know and be persuaded that nothing compares to the glory that will be revealed in us. THIS WOULD BE AWESOME!!!


Look Up,
Josh Strelecki