Yesterday at MCC we continued the Intersection series by taking a look at suffering. When we suffer we often ask questions. “Why did this happen?” and “God, where are you?” are common questions that we all ask. And God is not angry at our questions. He invites them. At the same time, our “whys” may never be answered. So, Jesus gives us a better, bigger, more hopeful question to ask…”What is God up to?”
Jesus assumes that God is present and involved.
A couple of key thoughts from yesterday:
1] The disciples saw limitations but Jesus saw possibilities. [John 9.1-5]
2] Jesus gave of himself for the woman’s healing. [Luke 8.42-48]
3] The Intersection where God and suffering meet is when we reach out to Christ, and find out that he has been reaching out to us all along.
Read Isaiah 53 [which we looked at briefly yesterday]. What do these verses mean to you?
How has Jesus been present to you in times of suffering?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
josh
Josh Scott 
I felt God the most when Dad was told he had cancer. It scared me pretty badly when they told me. But something in me calmed when I started praying…more than I ever had before. I felt a peace come over me…like I just knew God had his hand in this. Dad was very positive and upbeat after his treatments and visits to the doctor. After he went into remission, almost a year later, we had a scare. They thought it was back. When we got into that office and the doctor said it wasn’t cancer, just a virus they were picking up, Dad told the doctor he knew it wasn’t…God told him it wasn’t. For me, God was there the entire time and still is, in everything I do,…and I can see it more and more in everything around me now.
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In the book I’m reading, don’t I come to some discourse on “suffering” right after you preach on it ! God coordinates things like that.
“True Bible suffering is not poverty, disease, or disaster. Jesus came to heal, deliver, and set us free from that kind of suffering. Satan attacks us with those things, and we may have to take them for a season while we are waiting for God to deliver us; but that’s not the kind of suffering that God wants to endure permanently. He wants us to be long-suffering with each other.
If we get into strife, our fellowship with one another can become comsumed. We’re to walk and live habitually in the Holy Spirit, laying down the habit of hurting people.If we walk in the flesh, we won’t get along with anybody,because the bottom line is we all like to have our way about everything….The more time we spend listening to God, the more aware we become of how He wants us to behave and how he wants us to act.
Romans 8:14-17. Share His suffering? The bottom line is anytime our flesh wants to do one thing and the Spirit of God wants us to do something else, if we choose to follow the Spirit of God, our flesh is going to suffer.We don’t like that, but the Bible simply says if that if we want to share Christ’s glory, we have to be willing to share His suffering.” HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD (Joyce Meyer 2003)
You did so well in your Intersections Suffering segment. I loved the way you said you can’t promise ie. healing, but gave the promises the Word gives us. It was powerful. May God continue to bless your prayer and study time to feed your flock. I look forward to each and every week.
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