Jesus was so graciously honest with His followers.
The night before He was crucified, He told the Apostles to expect a difficult life:
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
The word “tribulation” means suffering, affliction, anguish, persecution, oppression, distress, and trouble.
Jesus made many promises to His followers. And this is one of them: do not be surprised by how hard your life will become. It’s par for the course, even for true believers.
Christians are not exempt from the trials of life that have plagued humanity from the day we first sinned. “Man was born to trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).
In light of the context, Jesus wanted the Apostles to be especially ready for suffering from persecution. Take note of John 16:1-3, in which Jesus tells the Apostles that “whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” That type of persecution continues to this day, just as Jesus predicted. Our brothers and sisters around the world face it often.
I’ve known very little, if any, suffering from persecution. I do have a measure of physical suffering — chronic neck and back pain for the past 30 years (bulging discs in my neck; degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis in my lower back). Very common ailments for a 68-year-old (that photo you see every week was taken 25 years ago). Some days, the pain is minimal. And then there are the bad days.
Sometimes I get discouraged and overcome with self-pity. This is a sinful response. I can see it coming, yet I still succumb to it. I’d rather not grieve the Spirit, but it happens. O wretched man that I am.
Someone asked me recently, “How do you trust Jesus when you’re suffering?”
I try to “take heart” by focusing on the spiritual blessings of the gospel, especially the blessings of salvation as detailed in Ephesians 1:3-14 and 1 Peter 1:3-25 (and many other passages). In other words, I preach the gospel to myself.
The more I learn what Christ has accomplished for me through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, the more I love Him, treasure Him, and trust Him.
I’ve been studying the meaning of Bible words that end in “t-i-o-n” – ironically, these are the words that end with a syllable that sounds like “shun” – which, of course, we should never do. We don’t shun them; we embrace them! When I learn what they mean, I am filling my heart and mind with the grace and mercy of God, and no amount of physical pain can alter God’s love and faithfulness for me in Christ Jesus.
I’m referring to words such as . . . salvation, justification, redemption, reconciliation, sanctification, glorification, adoption, propitiation, and remission.
I also take heart by reading the works of Reuben Torrey – he’s a preacher from the 19th century whose sermons have been transcribed into gospel-saturated yet easy-to-read books published by Aneko Press, such as How to Be Saved and How to Be Lost (the Kindle version is free on Amazon). He explains the gospel in straightforward language that I find most encouraging.
And I take heart by reading the words of Joni Eareckson Tada. She’s one of my heroes and has suffered a lot more pain than I have. I highly recommend her book, A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God’s Sovereignty.
Lastly, I pray a lot more. And that’s a good thing. I cling to God now. I didn’t use to do that. I was too proud, and He hates pride. I’m slowly learning how to shun arrogance and embrace the God of the gospel of grace.
Whether or not you are in a time of suffering, I hope you find this post helpful. Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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