Many of us, from time to time, ask ourselves the age-old question: “If God is God, and if God is a great God and if God is a good God and if God is a powerful God, why does He allow bad things to happen to me and others who have good intentions and want to please Him?”

Deep down we do believe that He is a good and great and powerful God. But that question still nags at our innermost thoughts and feelings and from time to time challenges our faith with subtle doubts.

He certainly does have everything under His control, and He does desire our very best. But not all things, such as sorrow and suffering, seem good while we are going through them.

I remember very well my mother’s homemade bread. I would return home from school, l and the entire house would be filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread waiting for some butter and homemade strawberry jam.

But by themselves, I did not like flour, yeast, shortening or baking soda. But when Mom mixed them together, allowed them to “rise” and then baked them in a hot oven, the results were amazing and wonderful.

Is that not how God works? Some pain here. A lot of suffering there. A time of grief. Sorrow for a season.  Financial problems. Discouragement over a loss. That’s God’s mixing everything together for our good and His will.

Prayer:  Father, give us grace and courage to look at our lives the way that You look at them - knowing and believing that everything works for our good and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:     And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

Once, while riding our bicycles over a mountain in California, I began to complain to my son John about the toll the ride was taking on me. My body seemed to be wracked with pain after riding for over six hours. After a moment he made one of his profound, son-to-father, life altering statements to me.

“Dad,” he said, “we didn’t have to do this. We chose to do it. Pain is optional. Suffering isn’t.”

Solomon also made a similar statement: “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness; but a crushed spirit who can bear?” All of us endure many days of suffering as well as pain as we walk through life’s journey. Often the “pain part of life” brings about the accomplishment of a heart’s desire: to accomplish something that very difficult. It may be that no one else has ever attempted or tried to do what we have set our hearts to do.

We may be chosen by God to endure long nights of unbearable suffering that no one has the capacity to empathize with. Our minds may be confused by mental problems that surmount all methods of healing. Suffering often alters our inner resources and mental outlook to combat the “unwanted suffering.” Many of us come to the place where we have no more mental, physical or even spiritual resources to overcome our suffering. What then?

Are there any simple answers or pithy statements or verses available? Though we may try there are no easy ways to comfort the suffering. All must accept the grace of God and enter into the “fellowship of His suffering.”

Prayer:  Father, for those suffering today, please give them Your peace, renew their spirit and grant them hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 18:14 The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

There are very few pictures of “attention” that can rival a US Marine standing tall after hearing that word. As soon as that “word” is shouted by the appropriate person, heels come together, muscles tighten and faces freeze as though they were carved in granite. Persons who have served in the military know the significance of that word: that external rigidity that is so visible to the onlooker represents an internal attitude of concentration that is waiting for a command to be obeyed and followed with no hesitation.

Throughout His Word, God uses many different ways to get the “attention” of His children. There are times when He speaks directly to a person. There are times when He speaks through a person. But when God wants the attention of His children, He has many options.

We read in Job that one of His options to get our attention is through suffering: “For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hand also heals.”

Proverbs 1:2 has a word that can be translated instruction, discipline, training and chastened. But, in this instance, there is no doubt that it means “to teach by discipline” or “punishment.”

We often hear stories about people who “have to hit bottom” before they are willing to do something about the problem that is destroying them. God uses suffering to get our attention by “raising the bottom” because He loves us.

“...the Lord disciplines those He loves.” God uses discipline to get our “attention” when we abandon Him.

Prayer: Lord, we know You love us. Do whatever is necessary to keep us in Your will - even if we must suffer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 1:2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;

A member of a tourist group noticed a shepherd carrying food to one of his sheep. He was very curious and asked, “What happened? Is one of your sheep having problems?”

“Yes,” came the reply. “I have a sheep with a broken leg.”

“What happened? Did he fall over a cliff? Did an animal bite him?” he asked.

“Oh, no,” said the shepherd. “I broke it.”

“My goodness,” said the tourist. “You broke your sheep’s leg on purpose? I thought that shepherds loved their sheep more than anything else. I’ve even heard stories about shepherds searching for a lost sheep all night long. How could you do such a thing? Were you angry? Don’t you love your sheep?”

“Of course I love my sheep,” replied the shepherd. “That’s why I broke its leg. This was a ‘wayward’ sheep. When it strayed from the flock it led other sheep with it. Something had to be done to preserve the life of this sheep and to prevent it from leading other sheep astray. I broke its leg and reset it to teach it obedience. Now, it waits for me to feed it and eats out of my hand. It will never leave me again and will stay by my side. Finally, it is obedient.”

There was a Psalmist who must have had an experience like the sheep in this story. In writing of his experience he said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your voice.” Suffering has a purpose.

Prayer: No one likes to hurt, Lord. Yet, we ask that You do whatever is necessary to keep us close to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

One evening when my son John came home from football practice, I noticed that his arms and hands had an unusual number of cuts and bruises on them. “What happened?” I asked.

“Have you ever noticed, Dad,” he replied, “that pain is optional but suffering isn’t? I wanted to be on the starting team so I knew it would take more effort on my part. I’ve been ‘playing’ and this is what it took.”

The Psalmist reminded us that Joseph was sold as a slave, and that “They bruised his feet with shackles and that his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.”

Tucked away in the great plan that God has for each of us is our fair share of suffering. After Joseph was sold into slavery, he did not complain about his condition. He exceeded the horrible expectations that were placed on him. By honoring God the King honored him.

When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he resisted her seductive behaviors. She did everything she could do to seduce him but through his dependence on God he did not give into his passions. And when she grabbed him physically he was able to escape through God’s strength. When she lied about him, he was thrown into prison. And rather than becoming bitter he became better. Because he was true to God he triumphed and eventually became the premier of Egypt. His path to power was through suffering and imprisonment. If we are true to God in our times of trial, we will be triumphant.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to be faithful to You, knowing that temptation and suffering, is part of Your plan for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 105:17 and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.

“Why should Christians be good and help others and never get much wealth when so many who don’t believe in Christ prosper and have so much?” he asked angrily. His wife died following a lengthy illness that drained all of the family’s emotional, spiritual and financial resources. His anger, coupled with grief, was understandable. Most of us have experienced feelings like that to some degree.

However, let’s think of Job for a moment. He was good and his friends were evil. He experienced much pain and suffering while his friends seemed to enjoy the good things of life.

Then there is the story of Joseph. He was a good and decent man and his “superior’s” wife was not. She had him arrested on an unjust charge and he was imprisoned.

Sometimes it seems as though being good has no reward. It is an end in itself. We receive no recognition or appreciation.

That is when we need to recall the words of the Psalmist: “The people will say ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.’“

Job’s boils became his blessings and if Joseph had not been a prisoner he would not have become a prime minister.

God will take the worst events of our lives and ultimately transform them into our greatest blessings.

Prayer: Grant us patience, Father, knowing that You are faithful and will turn our tragedies into triumphs. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 58:11 So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

James wrote, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord!”

God’s power to heal has an important place in Scripture. In fact, of the 1,257 narrative verses in the four Gospels, 484 are related specifically to healing. We believe in God’s healing power and know He can heal. David also believed in God’s healing power and believed that God could heal him. But where did David begin in his plea for God’s help?

David was hanging on to life by a thread. He felt total rejection by God because of a major sin he had committed. It had become a burden that was too heavy to bear, too big to overlook and too obvious to ignore. In fact he said that God “pierced him and His hand came down hard upon him.” He knew he was being punished by God for sinning against God.

After thoroughly describing his mental, physical and spiritual sicknesses he cried out, “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.” In his wisdom and from his former relationship with God, he realized that God would not bring about physical and mental healing unless David first confessed his need for spiritual healing.

There can be little doubt that sin and physical and mental illnesses are intimately connected. Yet, many only want God’s physical and mental healing. With God, all healing begins with confession and repentance.

Prayer: When we need healing, Lord, may we repent, ask for forgiveness and grace and then healing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 38:1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!

It was his first pastorate after completing seminary. He loved his members and served them faithfully. Upon learning that one of the members of his church was in the hospital he hurried to visit her.

As he walked to her room, he asked a nurse if she resting comfortably. “No,” she responded, “we believe that she only has a few hours to live.”

The news disturbed him and he was visibly shaken. When he entered her room, the saintly lady recognized his fear. She looked at him compassionately and said, “Son, there’s nothing to be scared about. I’m just going to cross over Jordan, and my Father owns both sides of the river. Either side is O.K. with me!”

John wrote, “He will remove all of their sorrows and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its sorrows are gone! And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making all things new!’”

Presently, we live on the side of the river that is dominated by pain, suffering and sorrow. It is all we have experienced. God does indeed own it and we are fortunate that He is with us to comfort and sustain us on “this side of the river.”

But we can rejoice in the hope of a new creation: a new heaven and a new earth. Once again He will make all things perfect and complete - including us, His children. With joy we can look forward to that day!

Prayer: Lord, with our limited minds we cannot imagine what heaven will be like. So, we ask You to increase our faith and trust in You and our hope for tomorrow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Revelation 21:3-5 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Oswald Avery and a group of biologists were looking for a method to cure pneumonia. While doing their research they accidentally discovered the properties of DNA - a unique gift from God that gives each person a unique identity. It has had and will have a direct impact on each of our lives as scientists expand its usefulness. It has the potential to assist physicians in diagnosing illnesses and in prescribing medications that will increase the healing process.

Avery did not have the discovery of DNA as a lifetime goal or objective. In fact, he worked in the laboratories of the Rockefeller Institute Hospital in New York City for many years and many of his research efforts failed.

But there was one standard in his life that kept him motivated. Each time he failed in one of his experiments, he took great pride in saying, “Whenever you fall, pick up something!”

Paul had that attitude. In his second letter to the Corinthians he wrote that God’s “gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”

Paul wrote those words when God refused to remove his “affliction.” Yet, through his “affliction” he understood and saw God at work in his life.

How? God gave Paul His courage and strength, and His power to overcome his doubts and weaknesses.

Prayer: When life seems to be crumbling all around us, Lord, help us to look to You in faith, believing that You have a gift for us in the midst of life’s “afflictions.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Joseph is a well-known painter of seascapes. His paintings capture calm waters and threatening storms. Once, an admirer was looking at one of his famous paintings and asked, “How were you able to paint with such realism the violence of a storm at sea?”

“Sir,” he replied, “I was on the bow of a ship one evening facing that storm. I not only saw it, I felt it. I experienced it.”

Like the painter, our Lord experienced the storms of life. Often we neglect to think of what the writer of the book of Hebrews said: “Since He himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.”

When we neglect to walk along side of Jesus in the Gospels, we fail to remember that He was as human as we are. We don’t often remember or recall the fact that whatever we experience in our lives He also experienced it in His life. However, He persevered because of His faith and trust in His Heavenly Father.

When we lose a loved one, we need to remember that He stood by a grave side one day and wept.

When we experience loneliness, we need to recall His feelings of desertion when His followers left Him.

When we experience suffering, we need to look at Him as He hung on His cross on our behalf and try to feel His pain and humiliation.

Prayer: How blest we are, Father, to know that we have a “High Priest” who has experienced our pains and knows our problems and is waiting to heal and help us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

A sculptor was beginning a new project and a reporter came to interview him about his work. He had never talked to a sculptor before so he asked, “What are you going to create?”

“A horse standing on its hind legs,” he answered.

“How will you do such a thing?” he wondered.

“By knocking off everything that doesn’t look like a horse,” he replied.

Paul in writing to the Corinthians said, “Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” God, we are reminded by Paul, is in deed and in fact, shaping us in the likeness of Christ.

As Christians, we need to know and accept the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We may at times think that we are at the end of our rope but as followers of Christ we are never at the end of our hope! As the sculptor with his block of marble, our loving Lord is “knocking off” everything in our lives that is not Christ-like. We sing our songs and say our prayers and tell others that “we want to be like Him.” And someday we will be.

But until that day arrives we must be patient and willing to submit to His will, allow Him to work in us and on us so that He may work through us.

Prayer: We know, Heavenly Father, that You have a plan for each of us to become like Your Son. Give us the desire to work with You while You complete your plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 2 Corinthians 4:1-10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (Read more...)

Many of us, from time to time, ask ourselves the age old question: “If God is God, and if God is a great God and if God is a good God and if God is a powerful God, why does He allow bad things to happen to me and others who have good intentions and want to please Him?”

Deep down we do believe that He is a good and great and powerful God. But that question still nags at our innermost thoughts and feelings and from time to time challenges our faith with subtle doubts. He certainly does have everything under His control and He does desire our very best. But not all things, such as sorrow and suffering, seem good while we are going through them.

I remember very well my mother’s homemade bread. I would return home from school and the entire house would be filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread waiting for some butter and homemade strawberry jam. But by themselves, I did not like flour, yeast, shortening or baking soda. But when Mom mixed them together, allowed them to “rise” and then baked them in a hot oven, the results were amazing and wonderful.

Is that not how God works? Some pain here. A lot of suffering there. A time of grief. Sorrow for a season. Financial problems. Discouragement over a loss. That’s God’s mixing everything together for our good and His will.

Prayer: Father, give us grace and courage to look at our lives the way that You look at them - knowing and believing that everything works for our good and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.