Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
How can we have a testimony without a test? The ‘name it and claim it’ movement within the church has instilled a concept that Christians do not need to face or go through the experience of pain and suffering. I, like most of you, do not like to suffer or attract pain into my life, but if we are going to walk closely with God, we will be tested, and we will experience pain on different levels. There are no padded crosses. Jesus instructed us to pick up our cross and follow Him. Matt. 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Picking up our cross to follow Christ is not always a painless action. The cross we pick up points to sin, and the exposure of sin will awaken anger in many people.
In a dream, Joseph received a great vision from the Lord. When Joseph explained the vision, the revelation of it brought immediate hatred towards Joseph from his family. Gen. 37:5 Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. The brother’s hatred manifested into a plot to destroy Joseph. They sold Joseph into slavery. What scars this must have created in Joseph’s heart. Family betrayal is a pain that can last a lifetime. Even under this kind of hurt, the vision remained alive for approximately twenty-two years until the dream had been fulfilled. However, the cost and pain in Joseph’s life were felt to the bone. Psalm 105:17 He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 They afflicted his feet with fetters; he himself was laid in irons; 19 Until the time that his word came to pass. The word of the LORD tested him.
Job had suffered beyond what many of us could have endured. All his children were killed, his wealth was lost to thieves, and his health was destroyed by demonic forces. Having someone come running into his home saying, “All your children have been killed in a freak accident. What terrible pain that must have been. Having another person come and report that everything Job owned had been stolen. The great stock market crash, known as Black Tuesday, on October 29, 1929, destroyed the wealth of many. Many people lost what they had invested in the market. Job lost everything he had in life, except his wife, who was suffering her own gut-wrenching pains of losing her children. Job’s health was under attack by Satan, causing Job’s pain threshold to be tested to demonic levels. His friends offered ineffective advice and had no pain relief for any of the suffering Job was experiencing. His pain was real and in control of his thoughts. Job. 3:1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
Have you suffered rejection and abandonment while you were in the midst of suffering from your own trauma? Job had the pressures of his emotional, mental, and physical suffering, while hearing his wife excoriate him for her pain. Job. 2:9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” The full responsibility of being a husband, a father, and a provider was being carried within Job’s psyche in his moments of torment; he understood he was a complete failure. Yes, in life, pain is part of the deal. The pressures that men deal with, as they often suffer in silence, are symbolically seen in what Job is suffering. Men are expected to provide for their family, be a supportive and discerning husband, a fair and understanding father, and be the emotional anchor for everyone at the cost of their own happiness and well-being. I believe this is something most men go through, but keep silent and to themselves so they are not seen as weak. I wrote this many years ago when I was a young father.
Chastised
My father chastised me because I was.
My mother chastised me because of my father.
My teacher chastised me because I thought.
My wife chastises me because I do not think.
My son chastises me because he is learning how.
My life chastises me because I fight it.
My Lord chastises me because He loves me.
My chastisement is real.
The suicide rates, with men is approximately four times higher than those of women. The curse of manhood is real because, as written in the book of Genesis, the labour of man is cursed, thus bringing confusing pressure upon the identity of a man. Gen. 3:17b Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labour you shall eat from it all the days of your life. This is why we need salvation and the regenerated, born-again life in Christ, because our new identity is found in Christ our Lord. Asking Jesus to reign in our hearts not only saves our eternal being but also delivers us from the curse that men once laboured under. However, we need to hand the pressures of our responsibility over to our Saviour. The problem is that most men do not know how to do that, and without realizing it, they continue to work under the curse that was meant for those of this world system. Psalm 73:16 When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless 17 until I entered God’s sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. It is only when men sincerely come into the presence of God with their pains of life and hand them over to the Lord that the understanding of freedom in faith becomes a reality.
How true it is, but by the grace of God, Job, Joseph, and many others would have been destroyed, but God sustained them through their pain and helped them live another day of victory. The concept of man’s idea of fairness does not appear in the Bible, but God’s equity does show itself in our relationship with Him. Life is not fair, and that is why pain is part of the deal of being a living person on this earth. We are individually created beings with complex inner workings that only the creator can understand. We are targets for the machinations of devils because we are created in the image of God. Satan hates humanity as much as he hates himself. There is no empathy for mankind from the forces of darkness, because we, through Christ, have become God’s light in this dark and depraved world. We are to put on the armour of God and do everything to stand in Christ while destroying the works of darkness through the blood of Jesus. Halfheartedness will not accomplish the battle set before us that can only be won by faith in God the Son. May we have the courage to understand the pain life hands out and go forward in the name of the Lord.
Powerful word! Thank you Norm.