puricare chronicles: Suffering

Showing posts with label Suffering. Show all posts

Saturday, April 17, 2021

SURVIVING OUR SEASONS OF SUFFERING - God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know. He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity. He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass. All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us. Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in Who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out. We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good. - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) - Longsuffering isn’t a word I want as part of my story. It means having or showing patience despite troubles. And I don’t particularly want troubles to begin with, let alone for any extended period of time. Thankfully, today’s passage of Scripture offers us encouragement for when we’re not sure we can endure our season of suffering for one more second.

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Surviving Our Seasons of Suffering

God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know. He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity. He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass.

All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us. Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in Who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out. We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good.

Lysa TerKeurst

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

Longsuffering isn’t a word I want as part of my story. It means having or showing patience despite troubles. And I don’t particularly want troubles to begin with, let alone for any extended period of time.

Thankfully, today’s passage of Scripture offers us encouragement for when we’re not sure we can endure our season of suffering for one more second.

In Jeremiah 29, the children of Israel got news from the prophet Jeremiah that they were going to be held in captivity by Babylon for 70 years.

Think about how long 70 years is. If we had to go to prison today for 70 years, for most of us that would mean we’d probably die in captivity.

Seventy years feels impossibly long, incredibly unfair and horribly hard. It would seem like a lifetime of hardship without a lifeline of hope.

But here’s what God told the people of Israel: “… When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10, ESV).

This is the scene and the setting where we then get these familiar and glorious promises I love to cling to:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, ESV).

God is assuring His people that His thoughts and intentions toward them are fixed and established. His plans are for their “welfare,” not for harm. His sure and steady promise is one of restoration.

But He also reminds them of what they must do as they await the fulfillment of His promise. They need to call on Him. They need to intentionally and wholeheartedly seek Him.

When we seek God, we see God. We don’t see His physical form, but we see Him at work and can start to see more of what He sees. Trust grows.

If our hearts are willing to trust Him, He will entrust to us more of His perspective.

If we want to see Him in our circumstances and see His perspective, we must seek Him, His ways and His Word. That’s where we find His good plans and promises for hope and a future.

If we find ourselves in an incredibly disappointing place — a place we don’t want to be — it’s easy to start feeling that some of God’s good plans don’t apply to us.

We can even lapse into the mentality that we somehow slipped through the cracks of God’s good plans.

But the truth is, God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know.

He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity.

He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass. (Isaiah 46:3-11)

All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us.

For the Israelites, the news that they would be in captivity for 70 years was absolute reality.

But the truth that God had a good plan and a purpose, not to harm them but to give them a future and a hope — that promise was very much in process all while they were in captivity.

Don’t rush past that last sentence too quickly. God’s promises for you are in process as well. Right now. Even in circumstances where you can’t see any evidence of good yet.

Just remember, “not yet” doesn’t mean “not ever.”

Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out.

We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good.

Father God, thank You for reminding me I can trust You in the waiting. Thank You for being present even in these moments. I know You will carry me through, and I trust You in the process. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Part of what makes healing so hard is the deep ache left behind after the trauma we’ve experienced. Overcome the lingering sting of past and present hurts with the help of Lysa TerKeurst’s FREE resource “Where Do I Go From Here? Six Ways to Start Healing Even When You’re Still Hurting.” Download your copy here today.

Find hope in the midst of the most painful chapters of your story as you read about how Lysa TerKeurst survived her own season of heartbreak in her new devotional book, Seeing Beautiful Again. Preorder here.

Lysa TerKeurst is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and national speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith. She has written 21 books, her latest titled, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (Nelson Books, 2020).

She is the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, where she and her team encourage over 500,000 women worldwide through their daily online devotional.

Her remarkable life story has captured audiences across America, including appearances on Focus on the Family, Fox News, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah and more. She has spoken at Women of Faith events and numerous churches across the country.

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/03/25/surviving-our-seasons-of-suffering

Friday, April 9, 2021

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD - God is free and has the right to do whatever he wants. He is not bound or limited by the dictates of his created beings. He is in complete control over everything that happens here on Earth. God's will is the final cause of all things. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is enthroned, and his throne is a symbol of his sovereignty. God's will is supreme. The human mind cannot grasp why God allows evil and suffering; instead, we are called to have faith and trust in God's goodness and love. The result of trusting in God’s sovereignty is knowing that his good purposes will be achieved. The purposes of God are the most important reality in the Christian's life. Our new life in God's Spirit is based on his purposes for us, and sometimes that includes suffering. Difficulties in this life serve a purpose in God's sovereign plan. - The sovereignty of God means that as ruler of the Universe, God is free and has the right to do whatever he wants. He is not bound or limited by the dictates of his created beings. Further, he is in complete control over everything that happens here on Earth. God's will is the final cause of all things. Sovereignty in the Bible is often expressed in the language of kingship: God rules and reigns over the entire Universe. He cannot be opposed. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is enthroned, and his throne is a symbol of his sovereignty. God's will is supreme.

Sovereignty of God

What Is the Sovereignty of God?

Learn what God's sovereignty truly means in the Bible

God is free and has the right to do whatever he wants. He is not bound or limited by the dictates of his created beings. He is in complete control over everything that happens here on Earth. God's will is the final cause of all things. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He is enthroned, and his throne is a symbol of his sovereignty.

God's will is supreme. The human mind cannot grasp why God allows evil and suffering; instead, we are called to have faith and trust in God's goodness and love. The result of trusting in God’s sovereignty is knowing that his good purposes will be achieved.

The purposes of God are the most important reality in the Christian's life. Our new life in God's Spirit is based on his purposes for us, and sometimes that includes suffering. Difficulties in this life serve a purpose in God's sovereign plan.

By Jack Zavada

The sovereignty of God means that as ruler of the Universe, God is free and has the right to do whatever he wants.

He is not bound or limited by the dictates of his created beings.

Further, he is in complete control over everything that happens here on Earth. God's will is the final cause of all things.

Sovereignty (Pronounced SOV ur un tee) in the Bible is often expressed in the language of kingship: God rules and reigns over the entire Universe.

He cannot be opposed.

He is Lord of heaven and earth.

He is enthroned, and his throne is a symbol of his sovereignty.

God's will is supreme.

A Stumbling Block

God's sovereignty is a stumbling block for atheists and unbelievers who demand that if God is in total control, that he eliminate all evil and suffering from the world.

The Christian's answer is that the sovereignty of God is beyond human understanding.

The human mind cannot grasp why God allows evil and suffering; instead, we are called to have faith and trust in God's goodness and love.

God's Good Purpose

The result of trusting in God’s sovereignty is knowing that his good purposes will be achieved.

Nothing can hinder God's plan; history will be worked out according to the will of God:

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” - Romans 8:28 (NLT)

“Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” - Ephesians 1:11
(NLT)

The purposes of God are the most important reality in the Christian's life.

Our new life in God's Spirit is based on his purposes for us, and sometimes that includes suffering.

Difficulties in this life serve a purpose in God's sovereign plan:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing ...God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:2–4, 12 (NLT)

The Sovereignty of God Raises a Puzzle

A theological puzzle is also raised by the sovereignty of God.

If God truly controls everything, how can humans have free will?

It is obvious from Scripture and from everyday life that people do have free will. We make both good and bad choices.

However, the Holy Spirit prompts the human heart to choose God, a good choice.

In the examples of King David and the Apostle Paul, God also works with man's bad choices to turn lives around.

The ugly truth is that sinful human beings deserve nothing from a holy God.

We cannot manipulate God in prayer.

We cannot expect a rich, pain-free life, as touted by the prosperity gospel.

Neither can we expect to reach heaven because we are a "good person." Jesus Christ has been provided to us as the way to heaven. (John 14:6)

Part of God's sovereignty is that despite our unworthiness, he chooses to love and save us anyway.

He gives everyone the freedom to accept or reject his love.

Bible Verses About God's Sovereignty

The sovereignty of God is supported by many verses in the Bible, among them:

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ ... What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” - Isaiah 46:9–11 (NIV)

“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” - Psalm 115:3 (NIV)

“All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" - Daniel 4:35 (NIV)

“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”'" - Romans 9:20 (NIV)

Jack Zavada

Christianity Expert

Education

M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University

B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University

Introduction

Created and manages and blogs at Inspiration-For-Singles.com

Published several books about Christian lifestyle topics

Contributes to numerous self-growth and Christian-based websites

Former newspaper reporter, technical editor, and public relations director

Experience

Jack Zavada is a Christianity writer. Jack began his 45-year career as a police and government newspaper reporter and Associated Press wire editor. He later served as a technical editor at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). Other positions held include being a publications editor and a communications director.

As a writer, Jack focuses his work into three genres, Christian lifestyles, self-help, and western fiction. He contributes to several Christian-focused websites including Bible-Reflections.net, SelfGrowth.com, LivingWordBaptist.net, JustMeCatholicFaith.com, and WZAKClevland.com. Jack created, manages and blogs at his website Inspiration-For-Singles.com. The site also serves as a platform for marketing his self-help eBooks. He also writes and publishes western fiction under the pen name of Calder Boone.

Education

Jack Zavada earned a Master Arts (M.A.) in English Composition and a Bachelor Science (B.S.) in English literature, both from Illinois State University.

Awards and Publications

Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges (Pine Cone Press, 1st edition, 2017)

Outsmarting Loneliness (Pine Cone Press, 2012)

Learn Religions and Dotdash

Our mission at Learn Religions is to help you explore the practices of your own faith, understand your neighbor’s beliefs, and familiarize yourself with the world’s major religions — regardless of your own spiritual background.

Learn Religions is part of the Dotdash family.

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https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-gods-sovereignty-700697

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