You MUST Have Patience in Suffering

What can God show you and do for you through your patience in suffering?

Like everyone, I have experienced hardships. Recently, there has been a lot of it. But by the grace of God, I have made it through. Now that I am on the other side of the pain I have grown closer to the Lord, closer to those I love, and I have grown in wisdom in how having patience in suffering can actually be something to be thankful for. I hope that this blog post can reach those that need to hear it. Those people who are still suffering, who are in the trenches, who are currently feeling hopeless and right now may just be surviving. Its time to thrive again and see that God's word is true and that no matter what, he will never leave you or forsake you. His plan for you is always good.

In the midst of suffering, you can experience so many emotions. Fear, despair, anxiety, overwhelm, stress, exhaustion, failure, grief, impatience, imbalance and more. I ask that if you are in the midst of suffering, you give it all over to Jesus Christ right now. Take all of your pain and lay it at the foot of the cross. Thank God right now for allowing you to suffer and ask that he give you the wisdom to understand it. God promises strength to the weary. He promises that you can rest in Him. Remember Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from. me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from. me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

What does the bible say about suffering?

We must be have patience in suffering. If we do, God will richly reward us. We see this clearly in the bible in the book of Job. Job was a righteous and holy man, he loved the Lord and had everything that can bring happiness on earth. God allowed Satan to strike down everything Job had. All his flock, his wealth, his home, and his family were gone, even his health was taken from him. When Job is afflicted with great loss and suffering, his response was not to curse God but to worship him. This is our call too. It seemed unfair and cruel of God to allow the suffering of Job, but God is never unfair. He always loves us even in the midst of suffering and even when we don't understand his will. Job, like us, sometime don't understand why God allows suffering. Job did nothing evil and he believes that God is just. This is a big question Job asks that many still ask to this day: If God is just, why is there so much evil in the world? Why do good people suffer? Life does not always make sense, there is so much we don't understand about this life, but we do know God is always present. The Lord is faithful and steadfast even when we are not. We can not know the mind of God or his perfect will. Sometimes there is no human answer; ultimately the answer can only be from God himself. In the end, God rewarded Job and he was given more than he had ever had before. We should ask the Lord to make our hearts more like Jobs. God will reward us too when we are faithful to his will even when we don't understand and even in times of suffering.

Without you realizing it; bad situations, great loss, and even evil people may be playing a part in the plan that the Lord is ultimately working together for your good. It is so hard to think of suffering in this way. When you're in the midst of it, you just want it to end. Even Jesus, the night before his death prayed that he might be spared from his passion. What great suffering our Lord endured for such a wonderful thing, the salvation of the world. He trusted the Father and did his will regardless. God is calling us to trust him in the same way.

Jesus on The Mount of Olives

Why does God allow suffering?

Although it is impossible to truly understand the mind of God, I have learned through my own trials and as I look back on my life, there can be 3 reasons for suffering. The first reason God *brings* suffering to us is as a punishment for our sins. The second reason is that God permits suffering to allow us to grow in wisdom that we would never gain without it. And the third is reason is that He is asking us to suffer as a way to unite with our savior as a way to offer reparation for the world.

This can be better understood by meditating on "The Creed of the Suffering" by Grandpa Ruff 1936-1999 which says;

1. I believe that suffering purifies and cleanses and can lead the soul to the heights of perfection.

2. I believe that pain, borne with love and resignation, is a great reparation for sin.

3. I believe God is near those who suffer for Him.

4. I believe that pain borne with love and resignation will be glorified in the world to come.

5. I believe that it is suffering which unites a soul more intimately to our Lord and rendrs it more Christlike.

6. I believe that pain carries with it secret and ineffable consolation for a soul that humbly submits and inspires it to a purer and more sincere love of Him.

7. I believe that pain borne with love and resignation carries more merit than almost any other work.

8. I believe that from all eternity God has kept an account of the number and weight of mankind's sufferings and has prepared a proportionate measure of His grace and recompense.

9. I believe that suffering which is born in Christlike fashion is a sign of love and predestination.

10. I believe that suffering, when united to that of our Blessed Savior, is the most effective means of converting and saving souls.

Grandpa Ruff's Original Creed

Grandpa Ruff's daughter, a beautiful mother and friend of mine said, "We are being made to suffer for supernatural reasons maybe known, or unknown to ourselves. It is God's way of making himself your first and most important love because it brings us to our knees and makes us go to Him. As we go through life and God gives us suffering, it needs to be reframed in our hearts and minds into what it really is, and what it really does for us, if we let it."

Having patience in suffering...

I know all of this is easier said than done and that some may not accept the mystery of God allowing suffering. I do not know what you are going through. I am sure many of you are going through awful pain and suffering I can never comprehend. I pray for you and hope that God will reveal his wisdom in your life.

If you are interested in printing Grandpa Ruff's creed, click here. I want to thank you for stopping by my blog today and if it has blessed you in someway I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments. I appreciate the support over the last few months and the comments, concerns and prayers for me and my family. I am happy to say that we have made it through the storm and have grown so much in the Lord.

God bless you and remember to glorify God in your simple everyday.