Topic > When Life Hurts > Suffering & Tragedy >
The Teaching of Adversity
The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . . .” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God.
Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not.
Discover Tangible Ways To Be A Grace Dispenser
You may not recognize it immediately, but it’s entirely possible that the person standing right next to you is really struggling. Today on Discover the Word, our team, and special guest Philip Yancey, provide tangible ways to help those who are hurting. It starts with being willing dispensers of God’s grace. Don’t miss the conversation, today on Discover the Word!
God Is Present In Our Suffering
Where is God when painful circumstances lay us low? Today on Discover the Word, our team, and special guest and author Philip Yancey, suggest that God is more present in our suffering than we might think. Learn ways to accept comfort from the Lord and extend that comfort to others—to be a “Grace Dispenser,” today on Discover the Word!
God’s Grace Extends To Both The Oppressed And The Oppressor
Zacchaeus was a wee-little tax-collector with a big reputation, siding with a corrupt government to swindle his neighbors. Today on Discover the Word, our team and special guest Philip Yancey use this biblical portrait to reveal how God extends grace to both the oppressed and the oppressors. It’s a discussion that challenges our expectations . . . today on Discover the Word!
Discover How To Become “Grace Dispensers”
It’s easier to extend grace to those who share our beliefs, values, and common experiences—people we like. But we’ve all got some people who are, well just a little harder to love. Today on Discover the Word, the team, and special guest Philip Yancey discuss how God’s love influences how we interact with people we disagree […]
Extending Grace To Those Who Deserve It Least
In order to offer grace to others, we first need to receive God’s grace ourselves! Today on Discover the Word, the team and special guest Philip Yancey, take note of how Jesus extended grace to those who seemed to deserve it the least. It’s the start of an eye-opening discussion about becoming “Grace Dispensers,” today on Discover the Word!
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
. . . I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “. . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . .” (Jeremiah …
A Friend’s Comfort
I read about a mom who was surprised to see her daughter muddy from the waist down when she walked in the door after school. Her daughter explained that a friend had slipped and fallen into a mud puddle. While another classmate ran to get help, the little girl felt sorry for her friend sitting by herself and holding her hurt leg. So, the daughter went over and sat in the mud puddle with her friend until a teacher arrived.
When Job experienced the devastating loss of his children and became afflicted with painful sores on his entire body, his suffering…
The Explanation For Our Difficulties
If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are— because Jesus has prayed that you “may be one” with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.
God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus— “. . .
Out of the Wreck I Rise
God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble . . .” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors . . .” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12).
The Habit of Enjoying Adversity
We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me.
Persevering with Peace
As I continue trusting God through my struggles with chronic pain, even the simplest setback can feel like a fierce enemy attacker. Problem One jabs me from the right. Problem Two shoves me from behind. Problem Three punches me square in the nose. During these times, when my strength wanes and immediate relief evades me, running and hiding can seem like a good idea. But since I can’t escape my pain, change my circumstances, or ignore my emotions, I’m learning slowly to rely on God to carry me through.
When I need encouragement, comfort, and courage, I prayerfully read through the…
Into Our Storms
Wind howled, lightning flashed, waves crashed. I thought I was going to die. My grandparents and I were fishing on a lake, but we’d stayed out too long. As the sun set, a fast-moving squall swept over our small boat. My grandfather instructed me to sit in front to keep it from capsizing. Terror flooded my heart. But then, somehow, I began to pray. I was fourteen.
I asked God for His reassurance and protection. The storm didn’t weaken, but we made it to shore. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve experienced a deeper certainty of God’s presence than in…
