Patiently Enduring Suffering – 3

Hardship and suffering also provide us with the opportunity to experience transcendent joy—a joy not linked to our circumstances, but linked to our deep satisfying relationship with Jesus. Paul refers to this in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 NLT, “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you.”

Just a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine was hospitalized. Five years ago he had battled colon cancer and now the doctors were convinced he was suffering the side effects of liver cancer. They gave him a couple months to two years life expectancy. The next morning he was to be operated on to biopsy the tumors on his liver and have a port installed for chemotherapy treatments.

That night my friend couldn’t sleep and felt compelled to worship the Lord. He listened to worshipful music for a while and became so overcome with praise and gratitude to his heavenly Father that he slipped out of his hospital bed and spent the next hour on his knees. He wept uncontrollably and enjoyed a profoundly intimate experience with his Lord. God strengthened, comforted and encouraged him filling him with transcendent joy. He climbed back into bed and slept peacefully through the night.

Following his operation the next day, my friend awoke and began feeling around his chest for the port, but it was not there. Then his wife burst into the room exclaiming that the doctors were baffled. For they had not found cancer, but abscesses from an infection! There were two miracles associated with my friend’s illness: the one is that he was healed, but the other is that he experienced transcendent joy in the face of what everyone believed was imminent death. Only God can provide joy like that in the face of severe trial.

Suffering and hardship provide us with the opportunity to demonstrate God’s greatness and sovereignty over adversity. Job experienced an onslaught of satanic evil directed toward him, his family and his belongings. In one day he lost all he owned. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.’” (Job 1:20-21) Job demonstrated by his patient endurance that God is greater than the worst Satan could throw at him.

© 2009 Rob Fischer