Suffering and Sovereignty

I think the hardest time to submit Yahweh's will is when it involves suffering. So many times we wonder why something is happening. For me, the hardest time is when there doesn't appear any good to come from it. Yet, we have to remember that Yahweh is sovereign in ALL circumstances, good and bad, no matter what the outcome. We have to continue to preach the gospel to ourselves daily no matter what obstacles hit us.

We don't have all the answers. I can't tell you why two families in Virginia lost their mothers in a freak accident. Or why there is such heartache, suffering and loss in this world. All creation groans with the weight of a fallen, broken world as it awaits the reappearance of the One who will come again. All creation looks forward to the new heavens and the new earth free from sin, a place with no sorrow, no tears, no death.

Suffering, though, is oftentimes the refining fire Yahweh uses to burn away our dross and to strengthen our trust in Him. It's not when we are strong and able to make it on our own that we need a comforter and savior, but when we are sorrowful and miserable. The trail may be painful as we are in the heart of the fire, but may we emerge stronger in Him than we were before.

Suffering turns us heavenward. It gives us a reason to long for the celestial city. How easily do we lose sight of the fact that this life is the vapor, the dream that will soon be over! In reality, this life that we now live will be over in the blink of an eye compared to the eternity we will spend in the worship of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!

In His Service,
Jessica