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Thanksgiving in suffering         “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, …   But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving That which I have vowed I will pay Salvation is from the LORD” (Jonah 2:1, 9).                         Suffering is painful and distressful.   And when we are in pain and distress, we usually groan in wounds and tears.   We even make a grudge.   We blame others.   We have to blame somebody for it.   We blame a situation too, not just the people.   We blame the people and the situation, but we do not blame ourselves.   The reason is that if we are so painful and distressful, we tend to become more selfish.   And if we are selfish, we will not only able to think that suffering has come because of ourselves, but we cannot.   That’s why we cannot...

“If God is for us” (10)       [Romans 8:35-39]                      Look at Romans 8:36-37: “Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’   But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”   Here, “it is written” refers to the Apostle Paul’s quoting of the words recorded in Psalms 44:22 – “But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”   And “we” in Romans 8:36 refers to three things in context: (1) God’s elect (v. 33), (2) Those whom God justifies (v. 33), and (3) Those whom Christ Jesus at the right hand of God intercedes (v. 34).   When the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints in the Roman Church that this “we” who are being put to death all day long, “all day” refers to a whole day, but ultimately to a ...

Suffering forward, toward a goal! "Paul suffers forward, toward a goal.   His acceptance of suffering is not acquiescence.   His acceptance of suffering is a sign of hope and an act of faith."   (L. Anne Jervis, "At the Heart of the Gospel")

God through suffering "...   that God, through suffering,  works for good in us and others,  redeeming us,  deepening our devotion to him,  and drawing others to himself through us."     (Iain M. Duguid, " EZEKIEL: THE NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY")

This world is ... "This world is the place where we are constantly being called upon to exercise faith, to trust in God's promise against the evidence of our senses.   Suffering is the path of discipleship that God has chosen and designed for us.   This world is a place of trial and tribulation that constantly whets and prepares our hearts for the glories of the world that is yet to come."   (Iain M. Duguid, "Living in the Gap between Promise and Reality")

Some reasons that God has behind the suffering and disasters that he controls:   1. Disaster can remind us that this world has been infected by sin and its consequences (Rom. 8:20-22).   2. Disasters that directly result from sin remind us of the terrible character of sin and can teach us to take more seriously the importance of avoiding sin ourselves (Rom. 6:23).   3. Disasters warn us of the coming of God's final judgment (Lk. 13:1-5).   4. For Christians, suffering can increase our appreciation for what Christ suffered for us.   We suffer in fellowship with Christ (Phil. 3:10).   5. Suffering can remind us of the importance of Christ's compassion for us, because he himself suffered (Heb. 4:15; 5:7).   He compassionately understands our suffering.   6. Sufferings can be used by God to sanctify our character (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).   7. Sufferings can refine our faith and give glory to God (1 Pet. 1:6-7). ...

"Suffering Taught Me the Sovereignty of God" (고통이 나에게 하나님의 주권을 가르쳐줬습니다) 이 월요일 아침, 하나님의 말씀을 묵상하면서 말씀 묵상을 나누다가 옆에 있던 사랑하는 아내가 부엌에 가서 빵하고 오랜지 쥬스를 갔다 줘서 먹고 마시면서 이 밑에 글을 읽게 되었습니다. "Suffering Taught Me the Sovereignty of God"(고통이 나에게 하나님의 주권을 가르쳐줬습니다)란 제목이 제 관심을 끌었습니다. 이 글을 읽어 내려가면서 저는 이 글을 쓴 Bobby Scott이란 목사님의 마음을 저는 조금이나마 이해하며 공감할 수가 있었습니다. 그 이유는 Scott 목사님은 아버지로서 자신의 딸 한명이 암 말기의 병으로 고통당하는 모습을 보면서의 그 심정을 저 또한 첫째 아기 Charis(주영)가 병원 중환자실(ICU)에서 천천히 죽어가는 아기의 모습을 보았기 때문입니다. 감사한 것은 Scott 목사님의 딸은 하나님께서 기적적으로 고쳐주셔서 살았고, 그래서 나중에 성장해서 결혼식을 올렸을 때 아버지 Scott 목사님이 따님과 함께 팔짱을 끼고 걸어들어갔다고 합니다. 그러나 저는 아기의 뼛가루가 들어있는 작은 상자를 들고 아내와 함께 배타고 나가서 물에 뿌렸습니다. 비록 이 차이는 한 딸은 살았고, 한 딸은 제 품안에서 죽었다는 사실이지만, 공통점은 "하나님"이라는 사실입니다. Scott 목사님은 사랑하는 딸의 고통을 통해 하나님의 주권을 배웠고, James 목사는 사랑하는 딸의 죽음을 통해 나의 구원자 하나님의 사랑(My Savior's Love)이 얼마나 굉장하고 놀라운지(His marvelous and wonderful love)를 조금이나마 경험했습니다 ["주의 인자하심이 생명보다 나으므로 내 입술이 주를 찬양할 것이라" (시편 63:3)]. ------------ "Jesus saved me t...

  Those who suffer according to the will of God   “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19).   Why do we Christians suffer?  I think of three reasons for that: (1) because of our sins, (2) because God wants to bless us, and (3) because we are living worthy of the gospel.  Of course not all our sufferings are due to our sins.  But somehow it is not easy to shake off the thought that many of our sufferings are the result of our sins.  I think a good example of this is Prophet Jonah.  Why did Jonah suffer?  Why was the ship that he was aboard almost broken? (Jonah 1:4)  The reason was that Jonah disobeyed God's command (vv. 2-3).  Likewise, we too can suffer hardships when we disobey God's command.  But I think it is dangerous to think that all our sufferings are all due to our si...