“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” [2 CORINTHIANS 12:2-10]. [1]
The story is told of a child who brought a cocoon into her bedroom. She had been told that in time a butterfly would emerge from the cocoon; so, in her eagerness to free the butterfly, she carefully snipped the silken threads so the butterfly could emerge without a struggle. The child didn’t understand that the struggle to emerge was necessary if the butterfly was ever to fulfil the destiny for which it had been created. Without the struggle to free itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would never be able to fly as it was created to do. By “helping” the poor creature, she doomed it to a brief life of walking, rather than a full life of flying, even migrating great distances. The tiring struggle to free itself from the cocoon was necessary for the butterfly to be transformed into the beautiful creature God created it to be.
Just as this child thoughtlessly neglected the truth that the butterfly needed to struggle if it would fulfil the destiny for which it was created, we are prone to forget that it is precisely the struggle that confronts us day-by-day, the wind in our faces, the seemingly constant opposition, that makes us strong. If you will ever be the beautiful example of the believer God intends you to be, you will need to inure yourself to hardship. The trials you are facing today are designed to transform you into the gracious example of a redeemed individual that glorifies the Saviour.
I’m speaking to people who know something of disappointment, of heartache, of sorrow. If you are a follower of the Master, you rightfully anticipate that He will be gracious to His child. And, yet, at times you have been buffeted, beaten and bruised. You know what it is to be betrayed by people you thought were your friends. You have tasted bitter tears at unexpected partings—some through death and some through misunderstandings that were not resolved. You have at one time or another heard the frightening words that informed you of a dreadful medical condition. Or you know all too well what it is to be strapped, to be broke and unable to meet the obligations you contracted. You are well acquainted with the sorrow imposed by a child who has turned away from the Lord, disappointing you and dashing your expectations. In short, you have sat at the table of brokenness. You may be seated at this table even at this moment.
At any given moment in the service of worship are people who are sitting at, or who have been seated at, the table of brokenness. Represented among us are people who have experienced marital breakup or family stress so severe that it has strained relationships that should be inviolate. Broken, these dear souls lift their hearts to Heaven and cry out, “Why, Lord?”
Others among us have sat in the office of their physician and heard words that terrified their soul. Perhaps they have committed to the tomb a loved one. They had planned a life of growing old together, but somehow, death has intervened and now that dear soul is left alone to somehow find a way through the dark world without support and without a soulmate. Crushed by what obviously lies ahead, these dear souls gasp out a cry to the God of Heaven, seeking some sort of stable ground on which they can stand.
There will be some who have tasted the bitter bondage that comes through foolishly buying into the world’s message that more is better. They have indebted themselves to a dismaying extent and wonder how they will ever be able to dig their way out of the hole they are in. They realise that the trap into which they have stumbled is of their own making, but it doesn’t ease their pain, doesn’t stop them from pleading for relief, asking God to do something to lift the burden that can press down so hard that it is difficult to breathe.
My point is this—each of us has experienced the bitterness of being broken and feeling as if there is nowhere to turn but to the Lord. If we have not yet experienced this brokenness, in the secret places of our heart we know that the threat always hangs over us suspended by a thread.
The message for this hour is a message for those who understand what it is to be seated at the table of brokenness. Those who have been there need to be encouraged that their time was not wasted when they sat there. Those now seated at the table of brokenness need to be strengthened as they pass through the Valley of Baca. Each of us will at one time be seated at the table of brokenness. If this has not been your experience yet, the message is meant to serve to prepare you for what is inevitable, especially for followers of the Christ. Together, let’s encourage ourselves as we explore what it is to be seated at the Table of Brokenness.
EXPECTATIONS OF GOD’S BLESSING — Defending himself against vicious slander, the Apostle Paul wrote a second letter to the Corinthian Christians. He wrote of a most intimate experience in order to demonstrate familiarity with matters that could be used to exalt himself. Paul wrote, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me” [2 CORINTHIANS 12:2-6].
We who follow the Master expect Him to be gracious. Tragically, we often define the specifics of our expectations, filtering these expectations through visions of our own comfort. Few of us are so dense that we would ever think of asking God to send trials upon us or ask for tough assignments to be sent. As a young Christian, I recall a time when I prayed that God would send me to the tough places. Thinking I could charge hell with a squirt gun, I was confident that I could handle anything that might come my way. God answered my foolish prayer almost immediately. After some bruising encounters during visits in the homes of the South Oak Cliff section, I pleaded with God to ignore the earlier request. I discovered that I was not nearly so tough as I imagined. I discovered that ministry can be bruising.
And I have news for you—you are not nearly as capable of doing all that you imagine. Frequently, I have witnessed Christians who revealed attitudes that reflect more of their position in the world than reflecting their position in Christ. Often denoted for boasting of their courage even as they boast of their willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ, these individuals appear to have confused brashness with boldness, a contentious spirit with courage.
Perhaps it isn’t all that surprising, but almost without exception, these boastful saints have proven to be anything be bold when boldness in the Faith is called for—they have confused brashness for boldness. These puffed-up Christians are seldom revealed to be godly, though they hold an exceptionally high opinion of themselves. However, I’m equally quick to assert that if Christ is in the mix, the child of God can accomplish great things. Recall the assertion of the Apostle Paul: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” [PHILIPPIANS 4:13]. There is the secret—through Him, through Christ Who strengthens me.
I acknowledge that I invest considerable time reading on matters of militaria. I am especially interested in reading of the various special forces of the nations of the world. Among those special forces is Canada’s own Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2). One might reasonably ask what makes the warriors that are so greatly admired seem almost superhuman? What makes the men of the Canadian JTF2 so capable? We don’t read much of this elite force within the Canadian military, but you may be assured that they are well-respected throughout the world, comparing favourably with any special forces in our world today. What makes such men the valiant warriors that they are? The answer to that question is that they are prepared to stay at the assigned task until it has been accomplished. They learn through training that the body can do far more than we imagine. They are able to refuse to give in to pain, refuse to give in to fatigue, refuse to surrender to discouragement because they are goal oriented. That is the same example that we witness in the Apostle with this exception—Paul realises that his strength is in the Lord Jesus! Here is a verse for each Christian to memorise—“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” [PHILIPPIANS 4:13].
I do know this: every Christian, if she or he will permit themselves to think, has known the blessings of God. We expect that He will bless us because we are His children—and He does! We know we have an inheritance reserved in Heaven. We know that we can come before Him at any time, assured that He will receive us, confident that He will hear us. However, we struggle with what we expect of Him because we are in the flesh. We confuse our material desires with what is necessary for effective service. Almost without thinking of what we are doing, we seek ease of life rather than spiritual power.
I have said before, and I emphasise now: We are not physical beings who possess a spirit; we are spiritual beings who happen to possess a body. We are taught in Scripture, “[Christians] are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you” [ROMANS 8:9]. We would do well to memorise the words of the Apostle that speak to this point. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [GALATIANS 2:20].
Followers of the Risen Son of God can expect His blessings; however, the blessings He will shower down are based upon grace, and not upon our own demands. We have no right to expect God to accede to our demand. We are taught to pray for “daily bread,” but nowhere are we promised a big bank account. We are encouraged to ask for immediate needs, but we are never promised wealth and comfort. We are promised peace and mercy, but we have never been promised ease and a life of adulation. As with all divine gifts, man has perverted His promises.
DIVINE INTERVENTION — “To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” [2 CORINTHIANS 12:7]. God’s harsh mercy can leave us confused at times. The Apostle was given what he referred to as “a thorn in the flesh.” Moreover, he identified this deficit, whatever it may have been, as “a messenger of Satan.” Though the account is shrouded in mystery, in some way the Lord used the devil to accomplish His goal of guiding His apostle.
We have no way of knowing what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” might have been. Whether it was an emotional condition, a physical deficit or even a situation that hindered him is unknown. Throughout the centuries since he wrote these words, people have speculated. We know that at other points in his writings he referred to physical constraints. You may recall one such place where the Apostle spoke in tangential fashion of his physical limitation.
Writing the Churches of Galatia, Paul wrote, “Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me” [GALATIANS 4:12-15]. It appears that Paul was referring to a deficit in his vision. Whatever his “condition,” those about him saw it as a trial for themselves.
Early in his first missive to the saints in Corinth, the Apostle spoke of his weakness, writing, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:2-5]. It is not at all certain that the weakness to which he referred was mere timidity or hesitation; it is entirely possible that he was referring to a physical limitation.
The point of this exercise is to confess that we don’t know what limitations Paul experienced. However, whether we feel trapped by a situation over which we have little control, whether we struggle against emotional limitations or whether we are passing through physical pain, we can relate to the Apostle to the Gentiles. If God was able to employ him to His glory despite severe limitation, then we can be confident that God is well able to use us as He pleases regardless of what we see as weakness.
At the time he was first afflicted, it is doubtful that Paul understood that his thorn in the flesh, this messenger of Satan, was actually accomplishing a divine purpose. It takes time and maturity to begin to unravel the divine design lying behind our experiences. Seldom are we able to recognise what God is doing when we are experiencing pain. However, in Paul’s case, God recognised that Paul was prone to conceit. Thus, to circumvent this tendency, God acted by permitting Satan to work so that in some way the Apostle was weakened. In his weakness, Paul would be driven to look to the Lord for strength. We’re left with the impression that he became utterly dependent on divine strength to accomplish even simple tasks each day.
Are you suffering from a chronic illness? Perhaps God has permitted that condition in order to glorify His Name in you. Are you struggling against an emotional weakness? Perhaps you struggle to have enough courage to speak to others or you are overly timid in interacting with others? Is it possible that God has permitted this to reveal His power and might through you? Are you facing an impossible situation in your life now? God can still work in your life.
I know that some of you listening today struggle with what appears as insurmountable obstacles. You are convinced that if only those obstacles were removed you could accomplish great things for the cause of Christ. However, I urge you to see that God is at work in your life now; He is even using the limitation that you see as a deficit to glorify His Name. You, with all the limitations of which you are so very much aware, are part of His glorious plan to magnify His Name. You are an instrument to His glory wielded in powerful fashion even now.
In a church in which I served many years ago, a wonderful, godly woman was a member. In her advanced years, she was dependent upon others for transportation to the services of the church. Since I was available, I was often asked to provide transportation, so she could be assured of opportunity to attend the services. “Oh, Brother Mike, I so want to work as I once did. I was once very active with the little children, teaching them and showing them Christ’s love,” she explained. “But now, I can do nothing. I can’t hear! Their little voices are so shrill that I can’t understand what they are saying. I can do nothing for Christ and for the church, except pray.” That dear woman was focused on what once was, failing to see the powerful woman of God she had become.
All she could do was pray? It remains for Christ’s rewards in eternity to reveal how many people were swept into the Kingdom through Mrs. Dollin’s prayers. Only eternity will demonstrate the power in the messages that were delivered in that church as result of Mrs. Dollin’s prayers. Her petitions to the Master lifted burdens from weary souls and ensured that the glory of the Lord was shed on that congregation. Is it possible that something like that has taken place in your life through what you see as a deficit, as a limitation? Though you cannot see all that Christ is now doing through your service, in His time He will reveal His perfect work performed through you. Cast upon Christ and His power, you are forced to rely on Him, and it remains to be seen what He will accomplish through you as you are compelled to lean on Him. What is apparent is that our Lord is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think [see EPHESIANS 3:20].
We pass through seasons of life and our opportunities change and the challenges we face are changed. As followers of the Christ, we are responsible to adapt to these changing seasons, always serving the Son of God who redeemed us and appointed us to His holy service. I will not always be able to function in the capacity of a pastor, standing before the congregation and declaring the glories of the Living God. When that time comes that I can no longer serve, I pray that I will still be able to reveal the love of Christ through encouraging others and through gently providing guidance to those who struggle. I pray that I will never lose the ability to call on the Name of the Risen Saviour, pleading for Him to strengthen the weak and pleading with Him to rebuke the wicked. You who know the Lord will face changing seasons of life, but you will never lose opportunity to serve Him in power.
PLEADING FOR RELIEF — “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” [2 CORINTHIANS 12:8]. You will experience intense pain while seated at the table of brokenness. Because you share in the human condition, you will be distressed; and you will plead with God to remove the pain. Because you are a follower of the Risen Son of God, you will experience opposition. And that opposition will not only be from people identified with this broken world, you will at times face spiritual opposition as spiritual powers oppose you through fellow Christians. Through the pain, however, God is always working. His perfect work is not often seen as His at the time. Pain is distracting, debilitating, devastating. Pain grips us by the throat and demands that we focus on what we are experiencing. We will plead for relief.
It is not a sin to seek relief when you are seated at the table of brokenness. When the Apostle sought divine relief, God did not rebuke him for asking the Lord to deliver him. However, the Apostle was learning to say, as did the Son of God when He faced His Passion, “Not as I will, but as You will” [MATTHEW 26:39b].
Let me say quite clearly—I do not know the immediate source of your pain, nor can I. For some, an illness or a physical condition may be nothing more than a part of the human condition. However, it is possible that you have a “thorn in the flesh,” a “messenger of Satan.” No doubt the evil one is quite capable of taking advantage of our weaknesses, of our trials, to traumatise us because we are a child of God. In doing this, he is able to transform what would otherwise be common to all mankind into that which is specifically meant to discourage.
Perhaps you have experienced a family breakup, a pressure that has either torn your family into pieces or now threatens to do so. Again, we must understand that ultimately the desolation that rips families to shreds is the result of sin—and the sin may not be yours! It may be the sin of a spouse who exalts his or her own desires above the welfare of those who should be protected. Again, the truth is that the wicked one is able to take advantage of our being shoved off balance to discourage and devastate the follower of the Lord Christ.
Digging ourselves into financial ruin—real or potential—may not be the result of direct demonic attack, but we should know that the devil is able to take advantage of our own foolish choices to distress us to the point that we question whether we can serve God. Dismissal from our job can be an innocuous act, a situation forced by economic conditions far beyond our control, or it could be driven by demonic manipulation. What is important to see is that each of us is liable to experiencing what we could legitimately call a “thorn in the flesh,” and that “thorn in the flesh” can be transformed into a “messenger of Satan” through his nefarious efforts. When we are afflicted by such excruciating attacks, we will know pain.
How should we respond when we are struck by such painful experiences? Looking at Paul’s response, it is obvious that we should pray. Though we need no encouragement to pray when we hurt, it is fascinating to note that prayer is one of the last things we do in our pain. Prayer should be our first resort; unfortunately, prayer is often a last resort. We imagine that the pain we are experiencing in our body is normal, or that it is minor and will go away on its own; so, we don’t seek divine intervention. We know that we entered step-by-step into the indebtedness that now overwhelms us, so we don’t seek divine assistance.
We appear to believe we are capable of handling the mess we have created; but, don’t you wonder how doing the same thing that created the problem will somehow resolve the problem? More realistically, it is probable that we are ashamed because we got ourselves into this mess, so we don’t ask for deliverance until the pressure becomes so great that we are overwhelmed, flummoxed. Long before our family is in crisis, we will inevitably have seen signs of impending danger. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, we didn’t want to confront the growing threat, until we were left with no choice but to face up to the disaster. Followers of the Christ must train themselves to pray before the danger is staring us in the face.
We have often recited the Model Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. Tragically, we say the words, treating them as a talisman, without realising that this is a model for prayer. Remember that one of the petitions Jesus taught us to present before the Father was,
“Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
[MATTHEW 6:13]
“Deliver us from evil.” To be certain, when we are in the maelstrom, this is a prayer we should offer; however, ideally the prayer is to be presented before we are in the midst of the storm. We need to train ourselves to see the danger before it is on us, seeking divine deliverance before it strikes. However, when trouble strikes, we should definitely pray, asking for deliverance.
In the Proverbs, Solomon has noted,
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.”
[PROVERBS 27:12]
We cannot avoid every trial; however, I am well aware that many of the trials we encounter arise because we walked into the situation that challenges us with our eyes wide open. Praying for wisdom before we encounter a trial is always preferable to praying for wisdom after the fact. Nevertheless, when we do face the various trials that are encountered in the course of our lives, let us encourage one another to pray. Let each follower of the Master take it upon herself or upon himself to watch out for fellow believers, praying for one another and encouraging one another to continue steadfast in prayer. James captures this emphasis when he writes, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” [JAMES 5:16a].
Jesus taught His followers to pray. Undoubtedly, you will recall one time when the Lord taught His followers. The divine text informs us, “[Jesus] told [His followers] a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” [LUKE 18:1]. I am the first to admit that it is difficult to pray under some circumstances. “Difficult” may not be the proper term, because prayer can become absolutely heroic in some instances.
When your world is crashing down, and your heart says no one stands with you against the forces that threaten to overwhelm you, the act of praying can seem to be a distraction rather than a necessity. It is precisely at such times that we most need to bombard Heaven with our cries for relief. It is precisely in the time of crisis that we need to seek the face of the Living God; and that is the time when it can be most difficult to pray. One thing is certain, at such times we won’t simply be saying polite prayers—we will cry out for deliverance! Let me remind you that one of the most powerful prayers any of us can offer can be as simple as one word—HELP!
In the passage I just now referenced in Luke’s Gospel, you will no doubt remember that the Master continued His admonition by providing a parable for people to carefully consider. “[Jesus] said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth’” [LUKE 18:2-8]?
Do you suppose that the Master’s closing sentence was meant to challenge us that as the age races toward a consummation that persistence in looking for divine intervention will become rare? Whatever else we may hope to learn from Jesus’ parable in this instance, it is obvious that He is encouraging each of us who follow Him to persist in crying out for deliverance, even when it appears that any hope for deliverance is forever gone.
When the doctor dismisses you and depreciates your concerns, pray. When the surgeon says that the situation is dire and the prospects for success are low, call out to the Living God. When your spouse deserts you in order to gratify his own fallen desires, seek the Lord and His mercy. When friends misunderstand you and cease speaking with you, call on the Lord. When providing the bare necessities for life seems to be an impossible dream, ask the Father for His intervention. When all hell has broken loose against you, pray. When it seems that Satan and his minions are focused on you alone, pray! Don’t quit praying; God is listening. And in His own time, the Living God will move His great hand to deliver His child, because He loves you.
THE NINETY-FIRST PSALM presents multiple promises from God that I would encourage each believer to claim as his own or as her own. One of those divine promise has proved to be a rich encouragement to many; it has certainly proved to be a rich promise for me on many occasions. This is God’s promise.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.”
[PSALM 91:14-15]
Bear in mind that this Psalm assures only the individual who rests secure in the Lord. The Psalmist begins this Psalm with these beautiful words identifying who is in view when the Lord speaks of delivering the oppressed.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
[PSALM 91:1-2]
The individual who rests in his own ability, his own strength, cannot lay claim to this divine promise. The person who seeks security in her beauty or her person has no claim on God’s power to protect. Only the one resting in the Living God has the promise of divine protection.
I received a call from a man who had just received confirmation of a dreadful malady. The next day, his wife would face a surgery. While many surgeries are spoken of as routine, there is no such thing as “routine” when it is you or when it is your loved one facing the knife. Such times bring us to the table of brokenness, and we will plead for relief. There is something dreadfully wrong with the individual who refuses to ask God for relief from the pressures that pound us, driving us to our knees.
Having said this, I must be equally quick to caution that the follower of the Master who fails to hold to “Not my will be done, but Yours,” is spiritually deficient. Our failure to accept that God reigns over us reveals immaturity. The thorn in the flesh that now causes you such intense pain is permitted by a God too good to ever needlessly hurt His child, and too wise to make a mistake. Learning to trust Him in every circumstance is assuredly one of the hardest lessons we shall ever learn, and also one of the most valuable.
DIVINE PROVISION FOR WHEN WE ARE SEATED AT THE TABLE OF BROKENNESS — “[God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” [2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10].
I am certain of this—when I cry out to the Father, He hears me, and since He hears me, I am assured that He will answer according to His perfect will. The answer won’t always be dramatic, but it is certain. For the Apostle, the divine answer to his plea was divine assurance: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” That promise is hard for us to believe; but our struggle to accept what God says does not alter the reality of what is said. God’s grace is sufficient for you. The reason His grace is sufficient is that His power is made perfect in weakness. Here is a truth that is ofttimes neglected—some of God’s choicest saints are some of the weakest of His children. Here is the surprising corollary—those weakened saints are among God’s strongest representatives. Their strength lies in their utter reliance on God for strength, for hope, for anything that will ever be accomplished through them.
For the moment, many of the people of God know what it is to suffer. I recognise there are many ailments which are common to all mankind; I don’t deny that these conditions often entail suffering—pain and limitations, both physical and emotional. There is nothing pleasant about physical ailments that are part of the human condition. There is nothing pleasant about emotional deficits that inflict their own special form of suffering upon those so afflicted. There is nothing easy about the struggle to provide for your family when your culture pressures you to meet its standard. Few of us can successfully resist the pressure of modern advertising that insists we can have it all with easy monthly payments that seem to never end.
Painful as these situations can be, I am now speaking in particular about the suffering that God’s holy people experience when the wicked one has focused his attention on them. I’m speaking of those times when your reputation is sullied, and you are powerless to stop the verbal assaults as the devil stirs up hostility against you. Someone knows what I’m talking about!
I am speaking of those times when vicious slander seeks to destroy your ability to function, endeavours to ensure that you will no longer be able to provide for your family, attempts to separate you from the social infrastructure you built through years of friendship because the wicked one has generated false stories about you. That slander may flow out of a physical or emotional illness, much as Job experienced. Someone knows what I mean.
I’m speaking of those instances when illness has forced you into bed and it appears there is no response to the best efforts of the physician. The doctor is mystified and nothing she does for you is working; there’s no explanation for what is happening. Someone knows what this is.
I’m speaking of those instances when life is jeopardised by attack and assault, many times resulting in death. Family members have been attacked, perhaps even killed, and the killer seems to fade into the darkness. Your life is threatened, and the police appear powerless to do anything to bring about justice. Someone knows what I am talking about!
There is a family in Pakistan that is suffering right now, and they can testify how hard it is to stand against the assaults of the evil one. There is a preacher in the Philippines that is fighting a lonely battle against satanic attack right now; that preacher can testify how difficult it is to stand firm in the midst of the maelstrom. There is a precious believer in the southern United States that knows the terrible strain of resisting the wicked one. And there is a fellow believer right here that sometimes feels abandoned as the forces of evil hammer her, leaving her breathless, and almost ready to quit the fight because she is exhausted.
There is an answer for the weary, exhausted, battered children of the Living God, and that answer is the divine promise to which the Apostle testified: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This promise is yours when you are suffering, when you are under assault.
Have you ever noticed the multiplicity of promises God gives to His people to encourage them in the midst of their trials? Look at just a few with me.
Paul writes, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” [ROMANS 5:1-5]. The Lord is working in the midst of your suffering producing something precious that can only be created through suffering. Can I get a witness?
Peter encourages believers when he writes in his first letter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 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. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” [1 PETER 1:3-9]. What you are going through will result in pure gold that cannot perish. Can I get a witness?
Here's a promise for you who are experiencing trials now. “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:3-12]. Through the trial you are experiencing, God is preparing you for His greater glory. Do I have a Bible reader here you will say “Amen?”
Job testified, just as many of you can testify:
“He knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
[JOB 23:10]
God, through Isaiah, has testified,
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
[ISAIAH 48:10]
We must accept the invitation issued by the Apostle, who invited even his beloved Timothy, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” [2 TIMOTHY 2:3]. Suffering will come, not because God desires us to suffer, but because He is allowing the wicked of this world to fill up the measure of their sins. Nevertheless, know this—our God works in the midst of our pain to bring glory to His Name! Our God does not desert us, nor will our suffering continue. He shall shortly put to an end what we are experiencing and judge the wicked.
Paul prefaced the strange invitation he extended Timothy with a realistic assessment of life for the follower of the Master, when he wrote in that same missive, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” [2 TIMOTHY 1:8-12].
Though I could multiply the instances when the Bible looks at our suffering to strip away the human focus to fix our attention on what is taking place behind the scenes, I will point to only one additional instance. The Apostle was facing death, he was truly suffering for Christ, but his death would be the final chapter—that chapter was still being written. So, he encouraged the young pastor of the Ephesian congregation, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Then, he pulled aside the veil that separates time from eternity to gaze intently on what lies ahead, writing, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” [2 TIMOTHY 4:5-8].
Here is a word of hope, rich encouragement for each one who is now seated at the table of brokenness. Writing from a prison cell, the Apostle testified, “I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this [imprisonment] will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” [PHILIPPIANS 1:19-23].
I’ve spoken from my heart to people who are hurting and to people who have been hurt, people who experience deep sorrow. Someone knows the brokenness that accompanies being seated at this table. God did not seat us at the table, but God so works in our life that when we are brought to this table, He is with us. We will not be seated here alone, Christ will be seated with us. That is the promise we received through Isaiah:
“Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows.”
[ISAIAH 53:4a]
Long years past, Job, the old saint who wrote the book describing what it is to be seated at the table of brokenness, wrote:
“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
[JOB 23:8-10]
There is the message we each need: “He knows the way that I take.” I’m not seated here alone; Christ is with me. Moreover, “When He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” There is purpose in my pain. And though I cannot see it now, I am confident that my God is at work; His purpose is for me to honour Him—He will be glorified in me. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
