Making Sense out of Suffering

FrontLine July/August 2019 | VOLUME 29 | NUMBER 4

As believers we have the privilege of magnifying the unique excellence of our God. When we glorify Him, we express our praise of His essential excellence. He is the Creator; everything else is the creation. God alone is the unique and perfect Spirit in whom all things have their source, support, and being. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name!

When we praise Him in our suffering, His power and grace are even more evident. The word “suffering” covers a broad category of difficulties; this word will mean something different to each one who reads these lines. But each believer learns to recognize how God’s glory intersects with his personal story. These intersections— “crossroads,” if you will—can be found throughout the Scriptures. In each of these the God of the Word speaks to rebellious and frail mankind. In a majestic manner, the Scriptures show us how God’s glorious deeds meet our most basic needs. As we apply our hearts to His Word, we meet Him at these intersections. There, in the midst of our difficulties, we have the opportunity to turn this knowledge about God into joyous fellowship with God. As we gain greater hope by experience, we learn to turn obstacles into opportunities; Christians can transform their problems into projects by the power of God’s grace. Life’s hurdles cause us to look to the heavens from whence comes our help. In a life-changing manner, injuries and insults lead us to greater intimacy with our God. This enables us to minister to others as they suffer.

God’s plan is to grow the believer’s faith. He frequently does this through suffering. We can see this in Jesus’ unusual announcement to His disciples in John 11:14–15: “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.” This announcement should give us pause. Why didn’t Jesus rush to the bedside of Lazarus? According to John 11:6, when Jesus received the news, He waited around for two days! Why? Why would He say that He was glad? What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there”? It’s when we come to the next phrase, “to the intent ye may believe,” that the issue comes into sharp focus. In John 11 Jesus reintroduced Himself to His followers, just as He had when He walked on the water. They knew that He could heal the sick, but now He would reintroduce Himself with the words, “I am the resurrection, and the life,” and their faith would never be the same.

So when God seems to be absent from your abject suffering, watch for Him to reintroduce Himself to you. Some passage of the Scriptures will become more precious to you. The healing balm you find there will also be of comfort to others. A few years ago, I shared what I was learning from John 11:14–15 in a small-group discipleship meeting. Immediately one of the men said, “I can’t wait to get home to share this with my wife!” When we asked why, he replied, “Don’t you see? If the Lord had not taken my son home in a SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] death, we would never have come to know the Lord. But now, he will be with us for all eternity.” It seemed as if a column of flame shot up from our dining room table when he uttered those words. For it had been during that time of grief that folks from our church had been able to minister the gospel of God’s grace to this dear family. On a recent trip back to his homeland, he shared their testimony and this Scripture with suffering believers in that land. Such is the power of faith when it is mixed with the promises of God. Suffering is transformed into serving; grief becomes a way to magnify God’s grace.

In this edition of FrontLine magazine, watch for those divine intersections. Look at the way that God’s glorious deeds have met the most basic needs of hurting believers:

• When a preacher loses his voice—permanently.
• When God’s people go through the valley of trouble.
• When a pastor must bring forward his own daughter for church discipline.
• When that daughter repents and glorifies God for that trying time.
• When you face your own thorn in the flesh.
• When you encounter a dangerous, invasive cancer in your own body.
• When a dear believer watches her spouse suffer with a dread disease.

Here you will find articles that you will want to share with others as they suffer.

Magnify God’s unique excellence as you see how God’s glory intersects each of these stories. His glorious deeds will meet our most basic needs.

Gordon Dickson has served as the senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Findlay, Ohio, since 1994.

Features

Everything Changed
Cary Grant

After ten years of ministry as an evangelist and pastor, my voice was reduced to less than a whisper.

The Valley of Trouble: A Door of Hope
Gordon A. Dickson

What will you do when trouble comes?

Church Discipline: A Gift Given by a Loving Church
Steven Thomas

The practice of church discipline is not an obscure practice based on questionable interpretation.

Church Discipline: A Gift Received by a Grateful Penitent
Sarah Akens

Choices always have consequences, and those consequences descended on me rapidly.

Lessons from the Thorn
Gordon A. Dickson

How will you endure excruciating pain?

God’s Strength in Our Weakness
Bill and Joy Logan

I could run from God and use my own wisdom to carry me through, or I could run to God.

With Job in the School of Suffering
Layton Talbert What Is a Biblical Fundamentalist and Why Would Anyone Want to Be One?
Dan Pelletier

“Not So Lord!”
Jan Alexander

Departments

Mail Bag & News from All Over

On the Home Front

Regional Reports

Wit & Wisdom

On Language & Scripture
Mark L. Ward Jr. At a Glance The Church: An In-House Discussion, Part 4
Layton Talbert

Discipline in the Church for the Glory of God

The Priority of Provision under the Authority of the Local Church
CDR Tavis J. Long, CHC, USN

Salvation Regardless of Age
Jerry Sivnksty

Pastor’s Insert

First Partaker – Preaching Passionately: A Legitimate Means to an Awakening? – Mark Minnick

Bring … the Books – Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits: Living in the Light of God’s Love – Robert Condict

Straight Cuts – Do Appearances Matter for the Christian? – Alan Patterson

Windows – Displaying Joy Amid Trial for God’s Glory – Ron Ehmann

FrontLine • July/August 2019.

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