HIS WILL IS NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT!
a word from the Lord to those who are suffering
Being in the will of God does not make us immune to trouble. It often involves hardship and suffering, but the end result is always good. God said to Ananias right after Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus, "Get ready and go to Straight Street . . . and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again. I have chosen him to serve me to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake." (Acts 9:10-16) (TEV)
Paul later wrote to Timothy and said, "Those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Jesus himself promised that his will for would at times involve suffering when he said, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world. " (John 16:33)
Moses was in the will of God when he went to Egypt to set the Hebrews free from bondage but it got him into a lot of trouble with the leaders of Egypt as well as causing trouble for the children of Israel. The elders of Israel said to Moses, "We had it easier before you came onto the scene! At least the Egyptians provided us with straw for making bricks, but now we have to gather our own straw."
Moses was perplexed, "God, I've been obedient to do your will and yet you have not done your part. There is only confusion and hardship, and you have not delivered Israel at all."
Paul and Silas were in the very center of God's will when they followed the guidance they received from the Lord in the vision of the man of Macedonia who said, "Come over and help us." They went to Macedonia in obedience to God's direction and within a very short time they were beaten severely and thrown into prison. But they were not confused. They prayed and sang praises to God in the midst of the persecution because they knew that trouble did not necessarily mean they were out of the will of God. Nor does the fact that we are not in trouble necessarily mean we are in the will of God. Their confidence was well rewarded as we see in the outcome of their sufferings!
Jonah got into trouble because he ran from the will of God and wound up in the belly of a great fish before he finally realized that it is better to suffer doing God's will than it is to suffer in rebellion against His will.
Paul said, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."
Peter said, "Let him who suffers according to the will of God commit himself to God as to a faithful creator." Am I willing to suffer to stay in the will of God? God’s will often leads us by the way of suffering as we have seen in the instances quoted above. But the suffering that is inherent in obeying God will always lead to so much greater good that it is well worth the pain! The sufferings of Christ at his crucifixion is the ultimate example of that truth!
To refuse the suffering involved in fulfilling the will of God in our lives often leads to greater suffering. I am not including suffering caused by sickness and disease. I do not believe God’s will is that we suffer sickness and disease, but that, in such cases, we are to come to Him in full assurance of faith and confidence that it is his will to heal us. Jesus expressed God’s attitude toward sickness and disease when, in every case, with no exceptions, everyone who came to him for healing received their healing!
Jesus suffered a horrible scourging to bring healing to us. If I am suffering some form of sickness or disease, I am told clearly what I should do in the apostle James’ letter to the early church: “Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5:14-16) But the fact that there is often suffering connected with doing God’s will is evident in Paul’s list of things which he suffered:
“. . . in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I was adrift in the ocean; In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in sleeplessness, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness. Beside all these things, that which comes upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
In spite of all these scriptures that speak of the possibilities of suffering, we are confident that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us, around us, in us and through us! And that glory is not just the glory that we will witness when we get to heaven. It will be revealed here on this field of battle at this present time! When you think of comparing the sufferings with the glory, meditate on that phrase. The suffering and the glory are not worthy to be compared!
So, if you are in the midst of a time of suffering right now, repeat it over and over until you believe it in the depths of your being, the greater the suffering, the greater, far greater is the glory that shall be revealed to you, in you, through you, and around you!
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Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com
