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GIVING THANKS IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING

By Mike Andrews

One of the most important things we must do when we suffer is to give thanks. I don't say this lightly knowing that many believers have endured unimaginable pain and tragedy thoughout their lives. It's in our sufferings that the Scriptures reveal that giving thanks in the midst of agony and affliction is certainly not easy to do. Yet Ephesians 5:20 tells us we should give thanks "always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul echoes this in 1 Thess 5:18 where he says to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks helps us to focus on God in our affliction, steers us away from complaining, strengthens our faith and brings glory to Jesus. Thomas Brooks wrote, "A gracious soul may look through the darkest cloud and see God smiling on him." Again, is this easy? No, but there are many things we can give thanks for when we go through seasons of suffering; because ultimately they are for His glory and our good.. Here are twelve reminders that I try to ponder on as I go through seasons of suffering and affliction.

1) That God is sovereign and in complete control of the intensity and the duration of your affliction. "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose" Is 46:9-10

2) That God's love and mercies never cease. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lam 3:22-23

3) That Jesus will never leave nor forsake you. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Heb 13:5

4) That God is with you in your affliction "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2

5) That God hears your every prayer. "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry." Ps 34:15

"When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles." Ps 34:17

6) That God is using this affliction to make you like Christ. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:28-29

7) That this affliction is momentary and light compared to the eternal reward it is producing. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..." 2 Cor 4:17

8) That Jesus is your sympathetic High Priest who intercedes for you constantly. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Heb 4:15

"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." Heb 7:25

9) That God is near you in your pain. "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

10) That Jesus is your refuge, strength, and strong tower you can run to. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1,"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." Prov 18:10

11) That God has saved you, washed away your sins, and adopted you as his own child. "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Romans 4:7

12) That someday Jesus will wipe away every tear from your eyes and you will see his glorious face. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:4

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)

In one sense, the answer is easy. Is Jesus our example? Yes. Jesus is our example, but not only our example, and imitating Him is not the foundation of our faith.

Christ’s Unique Redemptive Work

Before writing that Jesus left us “an example, so that [we] might follow in his steps,” Peter first claims that “Christ suffered for you”—that is, in a way that we do not suffer on behalf of others. When Jesus suffered at the cross, He “bore our sins in his body”; He healed our wounds through His being wounded for us (1 Peter 2:24). We were the ones straying like sheep, and His unique work for us redeemed us from our sin that we might live in holiness (1 Peter 2:25).

In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has done for us—those who are joined to Him by faith—what we could not do for ourselves or for someone else. We cannot die to redeem fellow sinners from the eternal consequences of their sin. But Jesus, as God Himself and the perfect Man, substituted Himself for sinners at the cross. Christ suffered for us who believe in Him.

At the climax of the four Gospels is Jesus doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. The first and main point of the Gospels isn’t to copy what Jesus does but, as John writes so plainly, to believe in Jesus: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

Imitating Christ as His Disciples

O, how rich are the Gospels for seeking to follow in Jesus’ steps! The heart of His achievement is inimitable, and yet His human life, words, and acts teem with wonderful imitability. Like us, He is truly human, seeking to glorify His Father as He lives in human flesh and blood and against the opposition of sinners and the course of this fallen world. Jesus is both our unique expiation (atonement for our sins) and our universal example of the Christian life.

Jesus Himself called His followers to learn from Him and follow in His steps. “Take my [easy and light] yoke upon you,” He says in Matthew 11:29, “and learn from me.” This, in fact, is what it means to be a “disciple” of Jesus—disciple means learner. His disciples are those who learn from, and follow the example of, His life and teaching. So, when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet the night before He died, He said: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15).

In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has done for us—those who are joined to Him by faith—what we could not do for ourselves or for someone else.

While we cannot replicate the redemptive merit of Christ’s life and death, we can—indeed, we will—imitate the self-humbling, self-giving love He demonstrated, whether with towel strapped around His waist or with His body nailed to the cross.

The Apostles also exhort us to take Jesus as our example. Paul says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who . . .”—and then he rehearses the self-humbling pattern and glory of the cross and resurrection (Phil. 2:5–8). Likewise, John writes in his first letter, “Whoever says he abides in [Jesus] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked—that is, in the way of self-giving, God-glorifying love (1 John 2:6).

The Power of Christ’s Indwelling Spirit

So, what does it mean for us as Christians to live “godly lives”? Paul captures it in especially memorable terms in 1 Timothy 3:16, where he writes, “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.” Yes, godliness. What might this include? We might expect a swift list of virtues or righteous deeds. Instead, Paul follows with the centrality of the God-man’s example for the godly Christian life. We get a hymn about Jesus:

He was manifested in the flesh,vindicated by the Spirit,seen by angels,proclaimed among the nations,believed on in the world,taken up in glory.

You want to know what godliness is? Look to Jesus. He is “godliness” incarnate. So, Christians have often called godly affections and actions “Christlikeness.” At the heart of our faith is His inimitable redemptive work, and the supreme example of Christian living is His wonderfully imitable human life.

We read the Gospels and marvel at His movements. We stand in awe of His irreplaceable accomplishment for sinners, and we watch Him interact and pray, preach and show compassion, retreat for rest and return to minister grace. We observe His love, His patience, His wisdom, and through the power of His indwelling Spirit, we seek to follow in His steps.

By David Mathis

Our ultimate desire at Calvary Baptist Church is first and foremost to bring glory and praise to the Sovereign LORD [Father, Son, & Holy Spirit] and to raise up mature believers so that we can fulfill the Great Commission. We will seek to achieve this by following the guidelines that God has put in place for prayer, worship, communion, Christian fellowship, Bible Study, and most of all the expository teaching of God's Word. We desire to provide the proper teaching of God's Word so that fellow believers can grow together and edify one another with love and compassion. Please come, and join us, as we look into how God has composed a unique storyfor each of our lives.CBC is a place to call home as we ......Magnify the Lord, Mature the Believers, Make prayer a priority, Meet the lost with Christ