How to turn trials into treasured times with your Savior
When we’re thrust into trials and find our worlds turned upside down, these lies tend to grow louder: “No one sees you. No one understands what you’re feeling. You’re all alone. Maybe God isn’t there for you, either. Your life is spinning out of control, and you’re missing out on true life…or…Your life is standing still, and your life’s purpose is on hold.” Whew! That was brutal!
We’ve been thrust into the Coronavirus Pandemic, a trial that’s unique because it will ultimately impact every person in the world. “We’re in this together” is common phrasing used to encourage camaraderie, inspire collaboration, and cheer heavy hearts. Though social distancing and sheltering in place separate us physically, the sentiment, “We’re in this together,” reminds us that everyone is suffering as a result of the pandemic. Each of us has a choice: View the Coronavirus Pandemic as an opportunity to unite in heart with fellow human beings across the globe, or view it as trial you face on your own.
I’ve chosen to view the pandemic as an entry point to greater fellowship with others. I’ve been asking God to show me ways to help bear the burden of others—to love my neighbors—and He continues to show me ways to serve. A scroll through my social stories and news feeds reveals many friends approach the pandemic like me.
It sparks joy in my heart to see posts of friends sewing masks for healthcare workers, donating items to food pantries, supporting small businesses, and participating in happy birthday drive-bys. I admire healthcare workers and first responders, who exemplify what it means to share the sufferings of others.
Mingled into the joy-giving posts, I sometimes find posts that fuel division. One FB friend criticized people who have lost their jobs and didn’t save for a “rainy day” because they were living paycheck to paycheck. Another FB friend advised high school seniors grieving the loss of canceled graduation ceremonies to get over it. Certainly, the Coronavirus Pandemic has caused us to suffer in varying degrees, but suffering is still suffering. All of us need space to ponder, hurt, and grieve so that we can move forward healthily.
ALL of my friends’ posts remind me what a gift it is when another is willing to enter into your suffering, seeks to understand your hearts’ hurts, and extends loving-kindness to you.
Reflection
- As related to the Coronavirus Pandemic, has someone entered into your suffering? What did they do that helped your heart?
- Are you in the midst of another significant trial? If someone has entered into your suffering, what have they done that helped your heart?
- How are you sharing in the suffering of others during this pandemic?
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You are not alone in your suffering. There is fellowship with Jesus in your suffering! This hope-filled sentiment is beautifully expressed in Apostle Paul’s letter to his Philippian friends. Paul’s heartbeat in suffering was to “know {Jesus} and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10/NASB). Fellowship with Jesus during times of suffering leads to deeper relationship with Him and a joy that lasts beyond the suffering.
Here are 5 truths to help you enjoy fellowship with your Savior in times of suffering.
1—God sees you, and He cares about your suffering.
In the beginning of the world, after Adam and Eve sinned, God outlined their much-deserved punishments, as well as punishment for sin’s instigator. As part of the serpent’s punishment, God included a promise to Adam and Eve that He would send a Savior to rescue His people from sin and death: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
God could have been consumed with anger that Man and Woman sinned against Him. Instead, He thought of the immense suffering they would face outside of the Garden and graciously chose to send them off with hope. His thoughtfulness and compassion also led Him to provide skin coverings for them.
Throughout the Old Testament, God watched over His people, was mindful of their suffering, and compassionate towards them. David wrote, “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:6-7). God faithfully fulfilled His promise to send a Savior: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Before Jesus left this world and returned to the Father, He spoke hope into the hearts of His people: “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). He also gave the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to us.
2—Jesus entered your suffering.
Jesus, “who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).
With love, Jesus entered our suffering and made it His own. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13/NASB).
3—Jesus understands your suffering.
What did Jesus experience when He stepped into our skin suit and our world? “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4).
We misunderstood Jesus’ sufferings, yet He fully understood our sufferings. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5).
4—Jesus is there for you in your suffering.
Jesus has always been there for us, taking our place on the cross long ago and advocating for us today. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
{Note: In the previous two blogs, we walked through practical ways to make sense of our thoughts and feelings and prayerfully process them. Often, we need to do that first before we lean into the next truth. Click here for the first blog.}
5—Your Suffering is an opportunity to relate to Jesus and His suffering.
Whatever trial is before you, remember, “You and Jesus are in this together.”
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). When we suffer, we suffer for Christ glorified. and this is our privilege as God’s children.
When Paul says it’s our privilege as God’s children to suffer for Christ, he means it with all of his heart. Later in his letter, Paul wrote: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11/NASB).
Paul approached suffering as an opportunity to know Jesus more intimately. It was through an earthly life filled with trials and suffering that Jesus opened His heart to you. By seeking to understand His heart in all that He experienced walking in human shoes, you’ll experience the fellowship of sharing His sufferings. It’s a deep fellowship that Paul valued more than anything in the world!
7 Questions to Seek to Understand Jesus’ Heart
When you experience suffering and when you read about Jesus’ sufferings in the Bible, imagine that Jesus is sitting across the table from you, sharing from his heart, about what happened to Him. Remember, “You and Jesus are in this together.” You are there to seek to understand His heart, listening and supporting Him (i.e. by valuing and honoring Him). Here are some questions you can use:
- How did Jesus suffer my current suffering?
- How did Jesus feel about His suffering?
- What were His thoughts about His suffering?
- How did Jesus fellowship with the Father in His suffering?
- How did He respond to those who caused His suffering?
- How would I describe Jesus’ heart in this suffering?
- In light of what I learned about Jesus’ heart, how will I walk through this suffering?
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Prayer
Think of prayer as your response to what your Savior and good friend shared.
Heavenly Father, I praise You, for You are a relational God with a heart of love. Thank You that You see me, and You care about my suffering. Through Jesus, You gave me the greatest gifts—salvation, new life, Heaven, and relationship with You.
Sweet Jesus, Thank You for entering into my suffering and making it Your own. My suffering is Your suffering. It means the world to me that You are there for me, empathizing with my suffering, interceding on my behalf before the Father, forgiving me when I fall from the weight of it all, and helping me in my time of need. Your heart is gracious and kind.
Jesus, we’re in this together. In this trial, let me suffer it for Your glory. This is my heart’s desire: To “know {You} and the power of {Your} resurrection and the fellowship of {Your} sufferings, being conformed to {Your} death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11/NASB).
May our fellowship be sweet, and may You know how much I value and treasure You. In Your Loving Name I pray, Amen.
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- Cover art and 2 quote backgrounds by my friend, Kate Keith. Check out her paintings (some for sale) @BeCreativeWithKateKeith on FB.
- Verses are ESV unless noted.
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