Today's "thought" is
taken from the daily devotional, "Streams in the Desert"
by L. B. Cowman.In it we find an interesting, refreshing, and Scripture-grounded take on suffering that I offer to you to encourage you and nurture hope in you in times of trial and difficulty. This excerpt appears to be a group of thoughts on the redemptive nature of suffering taken from the writings of several different people -- only two of whose names she cites. As I was reading it on June 19th it struck me as one I would want to share with you. So please, enjoy!
“Grain
must be ground to make bread.”
Isaiah
28:28
Many
of us cannot be used to become food for the world’s hunger until we are broken
in Christ’s hands. “Grain must be ground to make bread,” and being a blessing
for Christ often requires sorrow on our part. Yet even sorrow is not
too great a price to pay for the privilege of touching other lives with
Christ’s blessings. The things that are most precious to us today
are things that have come to us through tears and pain" (J. R. Miller).
"God
has made me bread for His chosen ones, and if it is necessary for me to be
ground in the teeth of lions in order to feed His children, then blessed be the
name of the Lord" (St. Ignatius).
"To
burn brightly we must first experience the flame. In other words, we cease to
bless when we cease to bleed.”
Poverty,
hardship and misfortune have propelled many a life to moral heroism and
spiritual greatness. Difficulties challenge our energy, and our perseverance,
yet they bring the strongest qualities of the soul to life. It is the weights
on the old grandfather clock that keep it going. And many a sailor has faced a
strong headwind while using it to help him reach port. God has appointed
opposition as an incentive to faith and holy service.
The
most illustrious characters of the Bible were bruised, broken, and ground into
bread for the hungry.
Abraham, because he endured affliction while remaining
obedient, stood at the top of the class and found his diploma inscribed with
the words, ’the father of the faithful.’
Jacob, like wheat, suffered severe threshing and grinding.
Joseph was bruised and beaten and had to go through
Potiphar’s kitchen, and into Egypt’s prison, on his way to getting to the
throne.
Job was ground to
powder like medicine, yet through his sufferings has helped untold millions
find hope in their own.
David was hunted like an animal through the
mountains. Bruised, weary, and footsore, he was ground into bread for the
kingdom.
Paul could never have been bread for Caesar’s
household if he had not endured the bruising of being whipped and stoned. He
was ground into fine flour for the royal family.
Combat
comes before victory. If God has chosen special trials for you to endure,
be assured that in His heart He has kept for you a special place. A soul that
is sorely bruised is one God has chosen to use.”
It
is a somewhat interesting phenomena that the messages I share from the pulpit
where I use illustrations from my own life (or from the lives of others) where
I or they struggled with pain, hardship, or difficulty, are the ones people say
they appreciate the most. Not ones where I speak of my victories, successes, or
achievements, but those where I share my struggles with pain, difficulty or
trials. There is, it seems, something universally helpful, desired, and
appreciated when people are transparent about struggles, which is not there
when one speaks about their victories and successes. This pattern is so
pronounced in Scripture, and my own experience, that it has made me hesitant to
ask God (as some do) to be "used in a mighty way."
For it seems that those who have endured the greatest suffering and struggle
are the most likely to be used in such a fashion.
If
the immense popularity of the Book of Job, and the transforming power of the
sufferings of Jesus tell us anything, they tell us people find one immense help
from one who is a friend in suffering. It should assure us that if we as
believers experience hardship, it's not because God is angry at us or punishing
us, but because God is growing our faith and equipping us for useful service to
others in His kingdom.
Living
in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff
