I read this quote this morning by Henri Frederic Amiel a Swiss philosopher, poet and critic: "You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering".
As I thought of it, how many times do we take our times of suffering and distress and make use out of them? To make use of something is to yield it to some service or usefulness. How can something that seems to torment your mind or body...something that brings discomfort, hardship, joylessness or sorrow...be useful? Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". So no matter what you face, God can make something useful out of it. If for no other reason than to teach a lesson. If you look through out the Word of God, you will see prophet and men of God that faced some times. of suffering/distress. For example (except taken from the NKJV Study Bible): "Some might consider Jeremiah a model of faithfulness, while other might think of him as an example of failure and futility. He served as God's prophet for over 40 years, yet the rulers and the people of Judah did not listen to his warnings. Jeremiah was put in prison, thrown into a well, and taken to Egypt against his will. He was rejected by his friends, neighbors, family, false priests and prophets, and kings. Yet through all the hardship and humiliation he was forced to endure, Jeremiah remained obedient and faithful to God". Jeremiah learn to make use of the suffering/distress in his life. He used it as a stepping stone to get closer to God. Because He trusted God that He had it all under control.
One thing we do not want to do in suffering/distress is what King Ahaz did in 2 Chroniciles 28:22: "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz". Do not turn and run away from God or His will for your life.
Instead, do what David did in Psalm 18:6: "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears". I like what Isaiah 65:24 says, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear". Before we even call out during our suffering/distress, He has an answer. He is just waiting to hear your voice call to him. All things are possible with God. Like the song sung by Mississippi Mass Choir says, "He's able, He's able, He's able, I know that He can do it. He said He'd help me through it".
Last night, Sister Sonya sang this song by Jeff & Sherri Easter. I had heard it before, but last night it meant a lot to me.
When you're up against a wall
And your mountain seems so tall
And you realize that life's not always fair
You can run away and hide
Let the old man decide
Or you can change your circumstances with a prayer
When everything falls apart
Praise his name
When you have a broken heart
Raise your hands and say
Lord, you're all I need
You're everything to me
And he'll take the pain away
When you feel you're all alone
Praise his name
And you feel all hope is gone
Raise your hands and say
Greater is he that is within me
And you can praise the hurt away
If you'll just praise his name
You can overcome
By the blood of the lamb
And by the word of your testimony
You'll see the darkness go
As your faith begins to grow
You're not alone, so how can you be lonely
Many times when we are going through times of suffering/distress, we mask it and those around us may not even realize what we are facing. I know I have done that before. I would rather not burden anyone else with the things that I face. In actuality, it takes all the courage I can muster up to tell someone to pray for me during those times. I have confided to people in times past and watched them "run with it" and tell everyone they can think of..."Do you know what she has going on?!". I am sure you get my drift. Gossip and be an ugly and hurtful thing. BUT, I believe that God places Godly men and women in our life for those times we need prayer support. And, I am thankful that our Pastor is one of those Godly men. The many times he has told us that he is praying for us over the past couple of years has meant a whole lot to us. I am thankful for the Godly and prayerful Pastor God has brought into our lives.
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