"Bummer!" I thought to myself. I have a One Year Bible that I use in my daily devotion time, and this morning, as I opened up the Old Testament reading, it began in the Book of Job. I recovered quickly as the Holy Spirit reminded me of the value of the book in my own journey.
God is in control! Satan can do nothing beyond what God allows. Scripture bears witness to this.
"No temptation [trial] has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted [tried] beyond your ability, but with the temptation [trial] He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV).
"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psalm 126:5–6).
"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5).
Scripture tells us that Jesus is our example and that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21–23). In Isaiah's description of the Suffering Servant, we read: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).
We often overlook the fact that Jesus sought the Father in prayer — not to be delivered from the suffering, but to be strengthened through it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, "Thy will be done" (Matthew 26:42, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42).
I want to share some insights from Oswald Chambers in his devotion titled "Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow," from the book My Utmost for His Highest. Chambers writes:
Sorrow removes a great deal of a person's shallowness... The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be that way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience... If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrows, God will make you nourishment for other people.
That aligns with what the Apostle Paul tells us about God the Father and God the Son.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 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. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 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" (2 Corinthians 1:3–6).
It seems as if sorrows are abounding in this present age: lost loved ones, lost jobs, dire diagnoses... The number of people on my prayer list has grown significantly.
If you truly love the Savior, you will have a heart for the suffering of the saints. When, not if, suffering comes our way, let us follow the Lord's example of seeking our Heavenly Father in prayer so that we might be comforters for those in the midst of sorrow.
What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!
