INTIMACY THROUGH SUFFERING

Trials and tribulations have their purpose. James tells us that through them we develop perseverance and maturity. (James 1:2-4) Hebrews tells us that hardship is a form of discipline, and though it is painful, we should allow ourselves to be trained by it. (Heb. 12:5-11) As a matter of fact, though Jesus was the Son of God, Scripture tells us that He learned obedience from what He suffered. (Heb. 5:8) Certainly suffering is an opportunity for us to learn obedience as well. I have met some Believers who think that Christians should never experience trials or suffering. If this were true, I’m afraid we would be very immature, selfish children of God. We would miss our opportunities to “grow up” in God. Not only that, but we would miss opportunities to grow in fellowship with the Lord, for our trials and tribulations are also opportunities to grow in intimate relationship with Jesus.

As we read about Jesus’ life in the gospels, we begin to see some very interesting things. Life for Jesus wasn’t always “rosy.” As a matter of fact, we discover that Jesus’ life was filled with some very challenging situations. Think about it for a moment. Christ was wronged. He was mistreated and misunderstood. He was falsely judged and wrongly accused. He was rejected and betrayed. And who did most of these things? The very ones who should have joyously welcomed Him. Even the religious leaders of His day who should have recognized that He was the Christ instead persecuted Him and sought to intimidate and control Him. Are you experiencing any of these same hurts as you follow Christ and walk in His truth?

How is intimacy with Christ gained through suffering? When we are going through a challenging situation and we are able to share our difficulties with someone who’s had a similar experience, what begins to happen in our relationship with that person? Our relationship begins to strengthen and deepen. The same is true in our relationship with Christ. In allowing us to walk through a difficult situation, the pain becomes a means to the strengthening and deepening of our relationship with Him. It allows us to experience a closer bond with Him. As we are “real” with Him, pouring out the pain of our hearts to Him, we are drawn closer to Him, for we understand that He knows exactly how we feel because He’s “been there.” He weeps with us as we weep, and He rejoices with us as we rejoice. 2 Cor. 1:4-5 tells us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of COMPASSION and the God of all COMFORT, WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR TROUBLES…For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”

Jesus was known as a “man of sorrows.” (Is. 53:3) One reason why He came and suffered was so that He could identify with us! “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering…Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity…For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. FOR THIS REASON he had to be made like his brothers in EVERY way, IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT BECOME A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST….” (Heb. 2:10-17)

Not only do we come to understand that Christ can truly relate to the hurt we are feeling, but in experiencing the same pain and rejection that Christ felt, we are now able to more closely identify with Him in His sufferings. We begin to comprehend how He felt while going through the same trials that we face. We can identify with Him in His sufferings, and we realize He identifies with us in our suffering. A bond is created between us and Christ through this shared experience. Are you beginning to catch a glimpse of the INTIMACY that is available between us and Christ, all made possible through the trials we face?! He loves us with such a passionate love and He longs to draw us closely into Himself and heal our wounded hearts. As Isaiah 53:5 can be translated, “…and in FELLOWSHIP with Him we are HEALED.” (Complete Jewish Bible)

There is a place of great anticipation for us as we endure the sufferings of Christ, for Romans 8:17 tells us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, IF INDEED WE SHARE IN HIS SUFFERINGS IN ORDER THAT WE MAY ALSO SHARE IN HIS GLORY.” What a word of hope for us!

Our Lord also encourages us in Matthew 5:11-12, as Jesus tells us, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

As we walk through the sufferings of Christ, may the words of Paul resound in our own hearts as well: “I want to KNOW Christ and the power of his resurrection and the FELLOWSHIP OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11) This word “fellowship” speaks of intimate fellowship and a sharing in common. Once again, as we embrace the Lord and His ways and experience suffering because of it, we have something in common with Christ and we can identify with Him, as He also experienced suffering for walking in truth and light. Thank God for the beauty of fellowship with Him that blossoms in our lives through suffering for His Namesake!

What about those times of suffering that have nothing to do with being a Believer and walking in His truth? What about those times when we are struggling through circumstances of life? We can look to 2 Cor. 1:4 once again, which tells us that the Lord comforts us in ALL our troubles. We can still find intimacy with Jesus through a shared experience, for since He walked this earth as a human being He knows first-hand many of the difficulties in life that we face. He understands what it’s like to be hungry and tired (John 4:6-8), He understands what it’s like to lose a loved one (Mark 6:27), and so on. When walking through these difficult times, we can pour our hearts out to our Lord, for He knows exactly how we feel.

Recently I walked through a situation that was strictly something a woman would face. Jesus walked this earth as a man, so how could He understand what I was experiencing? I then read Isaiah 53:3-4: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…Surely he hath BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS….” Jesus, as a human being walking this earth, may not have experienced every circumstance of suffering that we face. However, He not only bore our sins on the cross, He bore all our griefs and sorrows too! Therefore, He understands everything that we suffer! He bore EVERYTHING so that He could identify with us in ALL ways! He had to in order to be our great High Priest and perfect Intercessor! (Heb. 2:10-17) I believe this is one reason why He could endure the cross with JOY! (Heb. 12:2) Not only was Jesus, through the cross, going to forgive us our sins, free us from the law, and restore us to relationship with the Father, but through it He would bear all our grief and sorrow so that He could fully identify with us! What love!!

Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The One who overcame lives inside of us! He’s there to give us strength, peace, and hope in our time of trouble. In fact, every time that we are able to trust God in the midst of a challenging situation, we are soaring above the trial in the very midst of the trial. We are overcomers in Christ! Whether He delivers us from the storm or sees us through the storm, we have victory in Him!

I have walked through difficulty before and wondered why the Lord allowed it to happen. I believe it is understandable why we would ask such a question. After all, He is all-powerful and tells us that He loves us, so why would He allow us to walk through such a horrendous trial? During these times I realized I must know Him and His character so that I could trust Him when things didn’t make any sense. As I John 5:4 tells us, “…This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our FAITH.” It’s during these times that we must trust in His love for us and know that He’s got us in the palm of His hands. We lean into Him, and He sees us through. He fills us with a peace and hope that passes all understanding, and we become overcomers through faith in Him. (Phil. 4:7)

What about those instances when we suffer because of our own pride, selfishness, stupidity, and so on? These are still opportunities to draw near to God and allow “Christ in us” to help us in our weakness and conform us more into His image. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:15-16; see also James 4:6-8; Heb. 10:17-22)

In this life, we are going to experience times of suffering. May the words of Paul bring comfort to us when we walk through those times of trials and tribulation: “And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…Christ Jesus…is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:28-37)