What is God’s will concerning suffering?

Does He desire that Christians suffer sickness, poverty and distress? Exactly what does God ex­pect a Christian to suffer? For the answers to these questions, let us look at the Word of God. One of the reasons why there is so much confu­sion with regard to the subject of suffering is that in the past most people have looked to other sources for the answers. But our Answer Book is the Word of God. We must look at the Word and nothing else, and then we must interpret our suf­fering according to the Word of God instead of making the mistake of interpreting the Word of God according to our suffering.

Tradition and religion have swept across the Christian world like a flood and people have said “this and that” - but we have not been told what the Word says. The Word of God has a sure answer. In fact, Peter said that even though he saw Jesus Christ with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration - even so, he had a more sure way (II Peter 1:19). That way is the Word of God.

We have the same sure way. It should not matter what experience you have had, or what experience I have had, unless it is according to the Word of God.

Let us switch off our religious minds and learn from the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth. As you open your spirit to the Spirit of God you will realise that you do not need to stay in bondage. Most people base their relationship with God on circumstances and tradi­tion instead of on the Word of God. One of the biggest problems we have had in the Church is people saying, “Mrs. Jones down the road suffered and she loved God” or “Auntie Mary went through so much and she loved Jesus”. Let us rather look at the Word of God.

I Peter 4:19 ‘Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator’

If there is a suffering according to the will of God, then there must also be a suffering that is not according to the will of God. This is an area where we need to gain more understanding. The follow­ing is an excerpt from a certain publication: ,,While in a certain place, she prayed for the grace to share in Christ’s suffering. Her wish was granted. She became the prey to severe pain in her head, which was extended to her right eye. They sent her to a doctor who plucked out her eye without any anaesthetic. With all simplicity and meekness, and with the blood still flowing from her eye, she thanked the doctor and offered him a fee.

She spent the night in great anguish and the following day they took her for treatment to stop the eye from haemorrhaging.

She was moved to a place where she became blind, crippled and bedridden. She felt pain in her whole body which was plagued by wounds. Her knees became locked and immovable. The flesh in her open side decayed and her joints became loose. Her bones tore apart and became riddled like a porous sponge. Her skin split in a manner that you could count her vertebrae, one by one, and see the very movement of her lungs, as well as the shaking of her nerves.

She prayed nightly in honour of the five wounds of our Lord and reminded Him of the sixth wound on his shoulder on which He carried the heavy cross of our sins. She herself carried such a wound which bled for five years. She continually smiled happily because of the partaking of the sufferings of Christ.”

THIS KIND OF SUFFERING IS NOT ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.

Many people in the Body of Christ believe that it makes them more spiritual and more holy to suffer physically. They believe the more pain they endure, the more they are serving Jesus. This belief has prevented countless numbers of un­saved people from coming to the Lord. This is not the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

THE FACT IS — NO SUFFERING COMES FROM GOD!!!

Paul said that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13) The curse of the law is poverty, sickness and spiritual death. Therefore, Christ has redeemed us from poverty, sickness and spiritual death. He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him

(II Cor. 5:21) He carried our pains and our grief that we might walk in abundant life. How dare anyone say today that Jesus Christ did not’ suffer enough for us; that we need to suffer more ??? God sent Jesus to suffer for you and for me and Jesus said, “It is finished”. It was over, comp­leted on the cross. I Tim.2:4 ‘Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth’. Many people are saved, but have not come to the knowledge of the truth. John 8:31,32 ‘Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in my Word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’

It is the truth of God’s Word that makes us free.