5 Scriptures for Suffering

Just want to let the Word do the talking here! Here's 5 passages I have found so so helpful in times of suffering:

Psalm 90
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

2 Corinthians 1
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

1 Peter 1
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Romans 5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 8
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The power of a woman who says 'Yes'

I've been listening to a series of talks from Revive our Hearts about the story of Deborah from the book of Judges. It's definitely made me go back to this section of the Bible that you don't often hear much teaching on, and I've been really struck at the way the story unfolds and Deborah's role in this part of Israel's history.

The Israelites were in a very turbulent time. Because of their disobedience, God did not let them conquer all of the promised land. He did not give them rest from their enemies. He allowed them to be plundered to bring them to a point of desperation where they would seek Him again. They were under His discipline. The various judges who ruled over the people were raised up by God as an act of grace to provide deliverance, and often these judges had a military role in fighting off Israel's enemies and winning victories and peace.

At the time that Deborah judges Israel (read about it in Judges 4), it seems that Israel were under a particularly difficult time with their enemy Sisera, who had 900 chariots of iron, a powerful military advantage. We don't really know much about Deborah or other leaders of Israel at that time, but it seems that she walked closely with God because she was able to bring the word of the Lord to Barak (see v6-7). She brought a message to him that if he took 10,000 men and fought Sisera at the river Kishon, God would give him the victory. Barak's response is quite unexpected: 'If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.' (v8) Barak wanted Deborah to go with him to the battle! Perhaps this is a sign of weak male leadership at the time... but equally, it could be a positive humility on Barak's part that he wanted God's presence and knew that Deborah was a prophetess. Anyway, Deborah says 'Yes'! 'I will surely go with thee' (v9). This is the power of a woman who says 'Yes'. The result was that Barak led the army and they won a great victory (read more about it in the rest of chapter 4 and 5).

I want to apply this into our homes, our marriages and our ministries today. As wives, do we say 'yes' when our husbands have some calling on their life, or some task to complete? It may be the simple, small things, but it may also be big things like where you live, where you work, whether you are in full time ministry or not. I want to suggest that there are few men who will act upon a desire God has placed in their heart, a calling God has given them, without their wives giving an emphatic 'Yes' and a go-ahead. If you meet passion with passivity, the fire dies out. And there's nothing worse than a husband feeling he's dragging his wife along into this ministry or that town when she isn't really 100% on board with the plan.

I'm not saying let's abandon discernment; we need it! Some of us may have husbands who come up with a new hare-brained scheme every week and we need to gently offer wisdom and guidance where appropriate. But generally speaking, do we encourage or do we dampen? Do we show willingness to go where it may be difficult, where it may be uncomfortable, so that God can use our families for His glory in some task He's called us to do? Deborah made a bold decision to go into the battle, because she ultimately had confidence in the word of God. I think we need to seek God with our husbands for His plan and will for us, and at the heart of it, to do this not with the attitude of 'well if it's really clear we'll go through with it', but with the standpoint of 'unless God makes it really clear it's NOT right, we'll do it!' Think how much our churches would be transformed if we had that boldness, passion and spirit!

1 Peter: Our God is able!

It's been a very tiring time over the past week with illness, not enough sleep, disturbed sleep, work and other projects all thrown into the mix. I looked up 1 Peter 5:7,10 to remind myself that I need to cast all my anxieties on Him, because He cares for me. And after I have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me.

My cross-refs pointed me to Psalm 55:22- 'Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.'

And Psalm 40:17- 'I am poor and needy but the LORD takes thought for me.'

But the best verse of all was Rom 16:25 - 'To Him who is able to strengthen you...'

Our God is able to strengthen us through all the tiring times we face. And not only is He able, but He is willing too. Check out these other verses which tell us what He is able to do:

Ephesians 3:20- 'to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us'

2 Timothy 1:12- 'That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet ...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.'

Hebrews 2:18- 'Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.'

Hebrews 5:2- 'He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.'

Hebrews 7:25- 'Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.'

Jude 1:24- 'To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy'

What a God of love, kindness and mercy we serve! These verses just paint such a picture of His tenderness and care for us, in all our weakness and suffering. This gives us hope and reason to rejoice even when things are hard. Be encouraged: our God is able!

Encouragement to keep going

I don't know about you, but I often find it hard to keep sharing the gospel. Many of my friends and family reject Jesus, and it's hard to keep praying for them and keep hoping that God will save them. Well I had a huge encouragement this week that I wanted to share, to help you to keep going too.

I help to run a Christian Union in the school where I teach, and since the exam year groups have left school there have been a core of about 4 students attending. We've been doing an 'exploring the basics of Christianity' course as most of these students come from non-Christian families. A few weeks ago, I asked them how you get to heaven. One boy said that you had to be a good person. Since then we have looked at various Bible passages which show that only through Jesus you can be saved. Yesterday, at the meeting, this boy said outright that you can't be good enough, only through Jesus can you be righteous in God's sight. Hallelujah!

This was really encouraging because it shows that there will always be people who are just waiting to hear the full gospel. When they hear it, they respond in faith through God working in their hearts. I think I spend too much time telling God who to save, and not enough responding to the people in my life that He IS working in, and rejoicing in that.

'Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.' James 1:12