Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God's plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins. God's love is still working. He comes in and takes the calamity and uses it victoriously, working out His wonderful plan of love. Eric Liddell
We must never minimize the suffering of another. Scripture's mandate to us is, "Weep with them that weep." (Romans 12:15, KJV) Billy Graham
Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you. Corrie ten Boom
Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The readiest way to escape from our sufferings is, to be willing they should endure as long as God pleases. John Wesley
James 1:12 states "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." Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
People often ignore verses that talks about suffering because they wanted to be protected from suffering. They are afraid to face suffering. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
We are reminded that suffering comes with our sinful nature that is wasting away until the day we die. Christians suffer for many reasons, sometimes through no fault of their own. A Christian will experience a normal amount of suffering as part of human existence. But if a believer stays in fellowship with God and grows in Christ consistently.
Greatest person I have learned is Corrie ten Boom who have suffered because she protected the Jewish people from the Nazi, not because of her Christian faith. She lost all of her family and she was the only one came out of Nazi prison alive due to clerical error through God's divine intervention. Through her examples, she explained to us how to survived through suffering as she did. Corrie took to her heart that when life is at its darkest, God is there for her always. He understood her pain and carried her though it by supplying grace because she remembered this verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9God said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." She understood that God was in control, even if she did not understand why her family was suffering. It was HER faith in God's grace that she was able endure her pain.
Like Corrie, we can place such faith in Him because of the assurance we have through His Word, even when we do not understand. Our true home and purpose is not here; it is still to come. We are not made for this world, we are just here to learn all we can, and with what Christ has given to us, make the best and most of the situations in which we find ourselves. Then, one day, we will be called to our true home in eternity, in Heaven. So, let us cling to the hope we have, not the things we experience! "Is there sufficient grace to help us in every issue of life?" Life is filled with difficulty. Life is filled with pain and sorrow and suffering. Bad things happen to everybody because we are living in a sinful world.
Other quotes by Corrie ten Boom
When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.
Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
Final thoughts of mine
I don't think any of us would want to face trials as Corrie did but she did and she never blamed God. She knows suffering is part of God's plan. Her name is now glorified by spreading gospel after she survived Nazi prison.
Suffering comes in all forms and no one is immune to any of them. 1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Acts 27:24 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.'
Maybe those who preach that Christians do not suffer are afraid of suffering?
Trials (of all kinds) are often a two-sided coin. One side trials may be viewd as coming from God to bring out the BEST in us (See: Gen. 22:1,2,15-18; Hebrews 11:17). On the other side of the coin, Satan attempts to tempt us and trials to bring out the WORST in us (see: James 1:13,14).
Trials regardless of the source is the reality of life. Corrie ten Boom testified this in her life and so did Joni Tada. Often people who faith is opposite to Corrie and Joni will ignore them and focus on man's doctrine that "God is GOOD" always. Yes.. God is good in HIS Will, not ours. Joseph in the Old Testament testified that it was God's will for him to go through trials.
