Suffering

The sufferings of Jesus Christ and the glory that followed had been known before they happened. They had been revealed to the prophets by the pre-existent Christ. These prophets spent their entire ministries listening, studying Scriptures and searching the depths of their soul for the revelations of this suffering and glory. Yet James knew they had seen even further than the Messiah. They had revelation of the salvation that is ours.

James wrote to his generation who were suffering for their faith and said remember the prophets? The prophets spoke to people in their generation and to us. The prophets suffered but didn’t experience the glory that was to come. The prophets spoke of the Messiah’s suffering and future glory.

What does this mean? When you are struggling through your circumstance it is hard to understand what the purpose is? It sometimes seems meaningless, unfair and the questions are many.

Your salvation contains suffering and glory, it is founded on Jesus Christ, prophesied beforehand and only known to the saved. Not even angels can understand this and they do try.

In your suffering there is glory. A cursory look through the Bible and you see this message constantly. Suffering doesn’t stand alone for the saved it contains honour, worth, value, praise, His presence and ultimately heaven!

“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5 v 10-11)

James gives an example of patience and of whom they know full well, Job.

Satan wanted to dislodge and remove Job from faith in God. He boasted that once he touched his body with the pain of severe illness, Job would curse God.

You may be the person who could not sleep last night because of pain (Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. Job 30:17).

The days are no better, constant pain and suffering (The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me, Job 30:27).

This illness may have caused you to lose so much weight (I am nothing but skin and bones;, Job 19:20).

The pain is clearly seen for it has aged you (When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads., Job 2:12).

This might be you, if not you will certainly know someone right now who is in such suffering.

The debate on suffering is not for us here but an opportunity to see that there is a voice near the sufferer calling for them to give up, to curse God and die.

James is using the story of Job to call for us to endure in our own suffering.

Think of Job’s wife. She has lost all her children and all she had. What wife could bear to now see her husband suffer like this? For her, there is no hope and life is not worth living anymore. She questions her husband, “are you still holding on to your integrity?” and it suggests she has abandoned hers. Satan desired to shake Job from his relationship with God. He has failed to do so, but succeeded with his wife. Many today are not where they should be because they walked away from God through the period of suffering.

If you are a sufferer today then you will have known a similar voice maybe from somebody you love or even your own idea. Resist this voice calling you to walk away from God. Job’s wisdom said that God gives good things but also suffering can be a gift from God too. These are words not from a theorist but from someone in constant pain. He knew there was a reason for this even if he couldn’t see behind the scenes of life. God has not forgotten you He will bring you through it. There will be an end to this pain.

Job had lost everything and all his friends and family, but he persevered, he didn’t give up. He may have complained but he never cursed God for his suffering.

They also knew the end of his life and what God brought about for him. They knew that Job prospered through his perseverance. It’s always too soon to give up. You never know what you will miss if you give up now.

Endure this season of suffering whatever it might be for it will be worth it! That is what James is saying.