During a teacher training seminar last night, our pastor illustrated twelve ways to present truth and used “the power of God” as his topic. One of the methods was debate. He took the side of a discouraged person who doubted that God was powerful and invited the rest of us to “debate” with him on this point. Of course the conversation immediately went to the issue of suffering. If God is so powerful, why does He allow people to suffer?
While the Bible says that the carnal or unregenerate person cannot understand spiritual truth, this class of believers was quick to bring up a strong point: The nature of sin being what it is, sometimes the only way we can be moved out from under power is through suffering.
We also pointed out that God can and does use suffering to bring people to Himself. He is able to use all things for our good, including suffering. We also challenged the meaning of “good.” God’s idea of good is not the same as ours. We think “comfort” but His good is that we are transformed into the image of His Son.
Using a debate like this brought out how many of us have learned to trust God, even in trials. It was a powerful discussion, particularly for me as I’d been struggling most of the day over the spiritual condition of many family members. I suffer because I do not see any changes in their spiritual lives after years of prayer for them. However, last night I began to realize the reason for my suffering, and this morning God put an exclamation mark on those thoughts.
Jesus is the “captain of my salvation,” a phrase that means He is the pioneer or pathfinder, the one who went before me. He went through what I go through, not just as an exercise so He can identify with me and I with Him (which certainly happens), but to give real meaning and purpose to all suffering, whether physical or mental.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)Fitting means that it was appropriate to the situation that He should suffer; the state of sinful humanity made it so. To bring us (many sons) to future glory, He walked a path through the difficulties of living in a sin-cursed earth. This was a difficult and painful journey, but Jesus walked and I walk it too. That makes Him my leader. He has already experienced everything I will experience in my life. He not only endured all of it, but totally triumphed over sin, death, and Satan, and all related attacks and suffering inflicted on Him.
By His sinless life, Jesus blazed a path to God, a path that He calls me to follow. He is my pathfinder who understands my pain because He Himself went through it too.
Reading these verses, I realize that my normal reaction to the fact of His suffering is thinking of the Cross and the cruel death that He died, but today I am thinking of something else. Jesus did all this for us, yet millions mock Him, spit on Him, and reject Him. He loves them, died for them, and the most mention He gets from them is their use of His name to blasphemy. I’m moved to tears realizing that He knows exactly how I feel about my family. He suffers the same sense of sorrow for their lost souls, and more so.
As my example, what can I learn from Him as I walk this path and feel this sorrow? What did Jesus do that will help me be “perfected” in my journey and in my pain? One thing is this:
In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:7-9)Jesus made no sacrifice for Himself. Instead, He offered up of an obedient life and death and pleaded for sinners with supplications, cries and tears. His sacrifice was accepted and He was heard because of His godly fear (reverent obedience). He was saved from death through the resurrection and given an eternal ministry where He “ever lives to intercede for us.”
I am saved from sin and God’s judgment by Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrected life. I need not worry about my own pain or destiny and do not need to make any sacrifice for myself. Instead, I can sacrifice my life — in whatever way He might ask — toward the rescue of souls through prayers, supplications, crying and tears, and through an obedient life.
Jesus did not need to learn to obey as if He were previously disobedient (like I am), but He did have to go through the experience of obeying His Father’s will to learn the nature of obedience. I do too, and suffering puts me there. When life is pain-free, I know full well that my spiritual life too easily coasts. Good days bring out thanksgiving and praise, but after too many of them, my praise barometer easily begins to droop. It is in struggles that I cling to God.
Jesus was perfected by His suffering, not suggesting that He was imperfect in any way before that, but that He successfully carried out God’s plan. He endured suffering and temptation so that He could truly be my High Priest who understands my weaknesses, helps me as I follow Him, and intercedes before God for me. He was the author, or “cause,” or “source” of my salvation because His obedience to the Father led Him to His own death on the Cross and this sacrifice makes Him the source of my salvation.
No one can (nor does anyone need to) repeat what Jesus did, but He did it all so I can be obedient to God and endure my suffering, just as He did. He is my example and the One who went before me.
Last night’s lesson on using debate as a teaching tool helped me toss these ideas around in my mind. I have settled with this: God can use the suffering He puts me through to point someone else to that same path, or help someone else walk it with Jesus. Yet He might not use it that way and I know that whatever His plan, the sorrow I feel for unsaved people and the inner pain I suffer is part of how He is perfecting me. I can pray about my pain, and I can pray for those who are in darkness that He will give them light, but I can also feel comforted because He is my Pathfinder. He walked this way. He knows the sorrow of seeing people lost and in darkness. He knows their future if they do not repent. Because I walk this way and know the same things He knows, I more deeply sense that He is drawing me a bit closer. Instead of bringing up the rear, He uses suffering to help me walk right beside Him.
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