Why does a gracious, loving father allow suffering in the lives of his children? A difficult question.
There may be many possible answers. One of them will be briefly presented today: the “fellowship of his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).
Paul writes that he wanted to suffer the same death as his Master in order to become more like Christ. What the master experienced, his disciple also experiences. One brother called this suffering a “gift” in this respect: “On the one hand, the Lord understands the suffering situation of the believer(s). And by allowing it, He allows them to understand Him much more deeply in their feelings.”
Suffering, therefore, connects us with our Lord in a very special way. He feels with us – and we feel with Him, so to speak.
For example, when we are lied to by a person, we can have two experiences:
- “The Lord understands me because He has been through it Himself.” – compassion for our suffering.
- “This is how the Lord felt at the time” – compassion for His suffering.
A difficult but beautiful and important lesson in the school of God!
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