This past Sunday Pastor Jason tackled one of the harder passages in the Bible, and every time we get to these kind of passages I’m grateful that we go to a church that talks about these things!
Suffering was a theme in this week’s passage. And as a society, I feel that we do a lot to avoid suffering. Collectively, we do our absolute best to run from it. We take so many steps to avoid it completely and keep ourselves “safe” or even brace ourselves for the next shoe to drop.
Even as believers, we think suffering means we did something wrong, or that God is punishing us, or that He actually doesn’t hear our prayers.
We think suffering means He is silent.
But just like everything else in God’s Kingdom, we have to flip our understanding upside down. We have to see things with an eternal set of lenses. Our eyesight in the flesh is often not accurate, and tainted to only focus on the pain.
What we see throughout scripture is not a silent God, but a God who counts us worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ (Philippians 1:29). If it’s truly a “privilege” to suffer for Him…how do we get our tiny human minds to grasp this?
It reminds me of the story where James and John had asked Jesus to sit on His right and left when they entered His Kingdom. The truth is…they had no idea what they were asking.
Here was Jesus’ response:
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38 NKJV)
Anyone who has walked through suffering would say this: I had no idea what was coming.
Yet even as we walk through the suffering, we see God’s hand. We grow a little closer to Him…we understand His heart a little more. We often find ourselves at the foot of the cross, laying down our burdens one more time. We see fruit that wouldn’t come from an “easy life”. We are gifted with greater empathy to encourage others who are walking through similar trials. There is so much good…and yet, we had no idea what it would be like to drink this cup.
The beautiful thing about this is that Jesus knew. He had an idea of what was coming, and yet He chose to drink the bitter cup anyway. He did that for you…for me.
Part of the privilege of suffering is simply to better know His heart. To understand that the sacrifice meant great love…great compassion for humanity.
So as you find yourself walking through that familiar trial, draw ever more near to the One who drank the cup Himself.
Suffering was a theme in this week’s passage. And as a society, I feel that we do a lot to avoid suffering. Collectively, we do our absolute best to run from it. We take so many steps to avoid it completely and keep ourselves “safe” or even brace ourselves for the next shoe to drop.
Even as believers, we think suffering means we did something wrong, or that God is punishing us, or that He actually doesn’t hear our prayers.
We think suffering means He is silent.
But just like everything else in God’s Kingdom, we have to flip our understanding upside down. We have to see things with an eternal set of lenses. Our eyesight in the flesh is often not accurate, and tainted to only focus on the pain.
What we see throughout scripture is not a silent God, but a God who counts us worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ (Philippians 1:29). If it’s truly a “privilege” to suffer for Him…how do we get our tiny human minds to grasp this?
It reminds me of the story where James and John had asked Jesus to sit on His right and left when they entered His Kingdom. The truth is…they had no idea what they were asking.
Here was Jesus’ response:
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38 NKJV)
Anyone who has walked through suffering would say this: I had no idea what was coming.
Yet even as we walk through the suffering, we see God’s hand. We grow a little closer to Him…we understand His heart a little more. We often find ourselves at the foot of the cross, laying down our burdens one more time. We see fruit that wouldn’t come from an “easy life”. We are gifted with greater empathy to encourage others who are walking through similar trials. There is so much good…and yet, we had no idea what it would be like to drink this cup.
The beautiful thing about this is that Jesus knew. He had an idea of what was coming, and yet He chose to drink the bitter cup anyway. He did that for you…for me.
Part of the privilege of suffering is simply to better know His heart. To understand that the sacrifice meant great love…great compassion for humanity.
So as you find yourself walking through that familiar trial, draw ever more near to the One who drank the cup Himself.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.