Resolutions for those who suffer

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.   Romans 8:18

C.S. Lewis wrote that “pain is God’s megaphone,” meaning that God uses pain to get our attention in profound ways. Even so, when suffering strikes, you have to turn down the volume of other voices – some of which are well-meaning but rather incriminating. When suffering strikes, I recommend the following resolutions.

Resolution 1: Refuse to succumb to your emotions. Attacks come from without and within. Your emotions may tell you that if you had been more spiritual or had taken better care of yourself, this would not have happened. Pain can also become a veritable battleground for Satan to attack. 

Resolution 2: Rest in the promises of God’s Word. Remind yourself of what you already know. Suffering is not God’s rebuke nor is prosperity the sign of His blessing. God is not indifferent to your pain and Christ knows how you feel because He, too, suffered.

Resolution 3: Listen to the voice of God’s servants who have suffered. Read the biographies of Amy Carmichael, Fanny Crosby, C. S. Lewis, Dr. Paul Brand, Charles Cowman, Hudson Taylor and others. 

Resolution 4: Ignore the well-intentioned but empty counsel of friends who have “all the anwers” but don’t understand the question. Vance Havner did that. Following the agonizing death of his wife, he said, “I don’t understand some of the things we went through. There were a lot of things I don’t have any clever answer for. When I meet some brother who has smug and quick answers, I say, ‘Brother, bless your heart; you’re not for me; you know too much.’ ” 

Resolution 5: Don’t waste the suffering. Some become hard, cynical and bitter. Others become tender, compassionate, and caring. Suffering never leaves you where it finds you.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4