Focal Passage:
“See, O Lord, that I am in distress;
My soul is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
Outside the sword bereaves,
At home it is like death.
“They have heard that I sigh,
But no one comforts me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
They are glad that You have done it.
Bring on the day You have announced,
That they may become like me.
“Let all their wickedness come before You,
And do to them as You have done to me
For all my transgressions;
For my sighs are many,
And my heart is faint.”
Lamentations 1:20-22
Here’s an interesting prayer that acknowledges a point Jesus later made to His disciples. In John 16:33 and elsewhere, He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
It’s an interesting principle of God that He often uses His prophets, His disciples, and therefore the Church, to model, or demonstrate His displeasure. For example, He commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute as a demonstration of His displeasure with the people’s harlotry, (Hosea 1:2). God commanded Ezekiel to make a model of the city of Jerusalem and to lay siege against it. He commanded him, “Lie also on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 4:4-5)
In Acts 9:16, God tells Ananias of Damascus, regarding Saul, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
As a disciple of Christ in this world, never lose sight of two things: First, we are at war. We are soldiers for the cause of Christ and God wants us on the frontlines of this battle. As in any war, physical or spiritual, there will be suffering, that is the nature of war. Second, God, the Father laid the iniquity of us all on the shoulders of His own Son, who suffered, bled, and died for us. Keeping those things in mind will give you a whole new perspective on Jesus’ words, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
Suffering is the paradox of Christian faith.
Castaways Point 