“Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.” C.S. Lewis
In scripture, there’s a countless number of places that talk about suffering. We all know Job suffered. Even if you had just gone to sunday school but really never understood the concept of reading the Bible on your own, I’m willing to bet you heard about the suffering and trials that Job had to withstand. In that we were able to see that Job lost everything but truly saw that he had stored his hope up with God in heaven.
Colossians 1:4-5 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
Suffering is difficult. No one wants it. Suffering is like that kid with a really dirty mouth in elementary school that you brought home to play with knowing that your mom would hear them ‘cuss’ but hoping that she wouldn’t — you could hope that suffering won’t happen, but it will. But why?
See, I’ve read that Colossians verse many of times. I’ve studied the book of Job. I know why. At least my brain knows why but it’s something that my heart I know will have a hard time accepting when suffering turns into a reality. Suffering happens, in part, so that we can see how broken this world actually is and in that we can put our hope in heaven. If suffering didn’t happen, we would put our hope in only Earthly things and there would be absolutely no need to put any hope in heaven. It makes sense in my mind but then again I’ve never really gone through a time of suffering – sure there are times of frustration and confusion, but sufferings aren’t a common theme in my life. On top of the verse from Colossians to back this up let’s look at Genesis, the beginning.
Genesis 15:12-16 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, a dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
In one of God’s first covenant’s with His people, he tells Abram that suffering will happen for four hundred years. Four hundred years is a long time. Four hundred years ago Jamestown and Williamsburg were just being created. Four hundred years of suffering is a long time for suffering. If I’m frustrated for five minutes I’m like, “Why God?!” I am getting way to comfortable here as my life of a mild Solomon continues. It’s so hard to see when times are going good that my hope is in heaven? How do I know that when suffering happens I will keep that hope in heaven and Jesus will be my fountain of Joy? On the other hand, I want to be thankful of this life of leisure that God has blessed me with but Jesus suffered for me, I feel like I should be able to suffer for Him. Then I came across this verse which I’ve read but skipped over a key aspect of it many times –
1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
If necessary. Grief only happens if necessary. It might not be necessary for right now in my life — this may be the part of my life where God is developing my faith so that it can be tested and will result in praise and glory or it could be that God hasn’t called me to a life of extreme suffering.
Hebrews 10:32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
After I have received the plundering of my property, after I have been in prison, will I see that I have a better possession? I pretty much started this blog by saying I don’t think I would in my heart be able to recognize the fact that my hope is in heaven if great amount suffering and grief falls upon me. I questioned if I would throw away my confidence in the Lord.
I love the C.S. Lewis quote at the top of the page. We have to be ready to give everything away in order for it to be ours. Our human bodies will die. My piano will die. My dog will die. Everything and everyone that I ever loved here on Earth will die. Nothing materialistic that I have joy or pleasure in on Earth will come with me to heaven. I will lose everything on this Earth, whether God does it tomorrow or God does it over a period of time nothing will be mine forever except for heaven. Heaven is the only thing I could have hope in because heaven is eternal. There will be no crying, pain or death in heaven (Rev. 21:4), all of which are moments which cause suffering.
Timothy Keller says it like this:
“However, the suffering will have some meaning and redemptive effect. Christians will experience suffering in this life but they have been given resources to deal with it in hope when it comes.”
As Christians, we need to remember our hope is in Heaven and the soveriengty of God uses suffering beneficially.
Peter von Kahle 