"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep."
Matthew 8:23, 24 ESV
Lately my thoughts have been drawn towards suffering. No one likes to suffer, and the reasons and causes for the tremendous scope of suffering we might endure are vast. So why suffering?
I was talking with a brother in the Lord a couple days ago who is really ill, and dealing with all the suffering that goes along with serious illnesses. I remarked to my brother, "We are in the same boat..." talking about my experiences with illness and suffering .
The words I spoke set something off in my spirit that has been reverberating since then.
Jesus' disciples had followed Him onto the boat, expecting a pleasant time, not such a frightful storm! They had listened to his incredible teaching, watched Him perform miracles, but they were not prepared yet for actually being thrust into a tempest -because they followed Him! I believe that later on, after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, that this experience came to their minds. I believe that it was a metaphor that Jesus used to show His followers- all of us who have proclaimed Jesus as our King- of the storms and trouble that would come, sooner or later, with varying intensities and manifestations.
Aren't we the same ?
We are all in the same boat, trouble will come, and perhaps even now has.
This is not His last word though:
"And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."
Matthew 8:26 ESV
Suffering-all of it- regardless of intensity and scope- is producing in us an "eternal weight of glory" that we who endure and hold fast to Jesus will soon taste.
Below is a quote from a Chinese brother, Zhang Rongliang, who has endured great suffering:
"Suffering challenges so many people in the world. Without suffering how is it possible to taste the depths of the goodness of the Lord? After tasting it how then can one be obsessed with worldly desires?"
Matthew 8:23, 24 ESV
Lately my thoughts have been drawn towards suffering. No one likes to suffer, and the reasons and causes for the tremendous scope of suffering we might endure are vast. So why suffering?
I was talking with a brother in the Lord a couple days ago who is really ill, and dealing with all the suffering that goes along with serious illnesses. I remarked to my brother, "We are in the same boat..." talking about my experiences with illness and suffering .
The words I spoke set something off in my spirit that has been reverberating since then.
Jesus' disciples had followed Him onto the boat, expecting a pleasant time, not such a frightful storm! They had listened to his incredible teaching, watched Him perform miracles, but they were not prepared yet for actually being thrust into a tempest -because they followed Him! I believe that later on, after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, that this experience came to their minds. I believe that it was a metaphor that Jesus used to show His followers- all of us who have proclaimed Jesus as our King- of the storms and trouble that would come, sooner or later, with varying intensities and manifestations.
Aren't we the same ?
We are all in the same boat, trouble will come, and perhaps even now has.
This is not His last word though:
"And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."
Matthew 8:26 ESV
Suffering-all of it- regardless of intensity and scope- is producing in us an "eternal weight of glory" that we who endure and hold fast to Jesus will soon taste.
Below is a quote from a Chinese brother, Zhang Rongliang, who has endured great suffering:
"Suffering challenges so many people in the world. Without suffering how is it possible to taste the depths of the goodness of the Lord? After tasting it how then can one be obsessed with worldly desires?"
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