THERE’S AN INTERMITTENT PART OF LIFE we don’t pay much attention to, until it is forced upon us, and that is suffering. Job, the archetypal man of suffering, says “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7) Once it does grab ahold of our conscious mind, it simply does not let loose unless and until we work our way through it and are able to turn our minds, and our actions, to other things. The nature of suffering is such that we must go on in life in spite of it. Since we are body, soul, and spirit, suffering comes in various forms. There is the suffering of the body, when injury or disease makes its sudden appearance. There is suffering of mind and emotion, closely and inseparably linked, when loss is felt, whatever that might be. And there is suffering of the spirit, when that particular force of life is not available to us for whatever the reason.
The worst kind of suffering can be examined from several different perspectives before attempting to determine the degree of its impact on life. First, the suffering that we find ourselves encountering in the moment, for it will dominate the moment, and all other things are forgotten depending upon the power of its appearance. A vehicle wreck with broken bones and internal injuries will suffice as example. Second, chronic suffering of any kind that has established its undeniable residency in the daily pattern of life. Type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or after-effects of cancer all fall in this category. Lastly, and harder to define, is the lack of spiritual power that occurs when we are separated from the Holy Spirit due to the myriad reasons that run the gamut from personal sin to the overwhelming pain that can occur from the multi-faceted assault of accident, ill health, or wiles of the enemy of our souls.
Not to be dismissed, however, is the fact that suffering crosses all expressions of our existence—body, soul, and spirit are one, however well any person is integrated. Paul, having suffered much himself (cf. 1 Cor. 11:23-25), considers it all, and reflects, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18)
For someone in the throes of suffering, Paul’s words may have little impact, or may be rejected altogether. Such is the power of suffering. The pain of our bodies drives us to the medical system, where we may spend years seeking a solution, without finding it. A story of Jesus speaks to such issues. “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” (Mark 5:24-26)
The pain of mental and emotional suffering, which seems so prevalent in our modern times, and so seldom finds lasting or restorative relief through medicine or psychotherapy, is nothing new. In another story from Mark, we see Jesus engaging with a demoniac. “This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:9) In both these scripturally referenced issues, we know that the end of the individual’s suffering began with their encounter with Jesus.
Paul understands that suffering is a part of life that everyone encounters and must endure if they are to be productive in life. We look more closely at his previous statement. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) To consider this in context, always necessary for a proper scriptural hermeneutic, we discover that in the previous section Paul had been speaking about the suffering and death of Christ. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” (Rom. 8:11)
We must look at suffering of not just the body, but also the soul and spirit in this context. From this perspective, what Paul is saying becomes clear—even more so if we consider something Paul said in that flow of thought. “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. We are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (cf. Rom. 8:13-27)
So, we contemplate this thought: Of all suffering, suffering in the spirit is the worst we encounter in this life, and God forbid in the next. To suffer in spirit by never being found by God is of terrible consequence, and leaves us prone to be overtaken by suffering of body and soul also. To suffer in Spirit by being separated from God by sin in this life has equally painful consequences. But to suffer in Spirit forever separated from God in hell is the most painful suffering of all. And so, with Paul we can say, “We ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Rom. 8:23)
Father, we thank you for our bible, in which we find hope, and truth, and in doing so encounter mercy and grace. We thank you for Jesus, in whom the promises you have made become ours. We thank you for the gift and the encouragement of the indwelling Holy Spirit, promised by our Lord: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16-17) And we accept the prayers on our behalf of those who have gone before us. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Pet. 5:10)
Q. Am I able to praise the Lord, anyway, in all circumstances?
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