The Two Fold Purpose of Suffering

UV 3634/10000 The Two Fold Purpose of Suffering And not only this, but with joy, let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble ) produces patient endurance; Romans 5 v 3 Gold dust is separated from the sand by immersing in water. Afterwards, the lumps of gold are then melted in fire in order to remove the dross or impurities. Likewise, the Word of God says that we go through water and fire. Water separates while fire purifies. Water separates us from the dust of this world. The water is also a metaphor for the living word of God. The Word separates us from the world. But for the more ingrained impurities, we need to undergo the fire of suffering. Unlike the goldsmith, the Lord steps into the fire with us and prevents us from being burnt like the friends of Daniel were protected by the fourth, the Son of God. The Word produces patience in us while the fire of suffering produces endurance. The word gives us the purpose and meaning of suffering so that when we understand that we have to suffer like Jesus suffered in this world though He is perfect and sinless. Suffering then from the biblical perspective is not punishment but meant for our purification, our strengthening from within. Hence, Paul writes that instead of resenting it, we should relish the fact that the Lord has chosen us for the particular suffering to make us pure like 22 carat gold. We should rejoice in the hope that just as God’s grace enabled Jesus to overcome suffering in this world and emerge victorious for the glory of God, We place our complete hope and confidence in the precious promises contained in the Word that assures us that there will be a manifestation of His excellence and power in our suffering. We are soldiers of God and hence, as soldiers we are trained in and through hardship. We should rejoice in our hardship. God will make a way for us not only through the storm but He will also make the storm a way for us to endure and overcome the challenges of life. The story is told of an English poet who wanted to throw himself off the London bridge and towards that end, called a cab. But due to very heavy rain, the cab driver lost his way to the bridge. Finally, exasperated, the poet asked him to return him back to his residence. When the cab driver reached him back to his residence and said that he did not expect payment since he could not reach the destination of the London bridge, the poet said, “ You have actually saved my life for I intended to end my life at the London bridge tonight.” Cowper, the poet, then wrote the lines, “ God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps on the sea, And rides upon the storm.”