On the Other Side of Suffering [Excerpt by Philip Yancey]
Excerpt from Grace Notes: Daily Readings with Philip Yancey (eBook).
In the Old Testament, faithful believers seemed shocked when suffering came their way. They expected God to reward their faithfulness with prosperity and comfort. But the New Testament shows a remarkable change. As Peter advised suffering Christians [in 1 Peter 2:21, "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."]
Other passages go further, using phrases I will not attempt to explain. Paul speaks of "sharing in his [Christ’s] sufferings" and says he hopes to "fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regards to Christ’s afflictions [Colossians 1:24]."
|
|
'It was just a question of slogging through till the enemy gave up.' -Harry Boer, WWII Chaplain |
Harry Boer, a chaplain during World War II, spent the final days of that war among marines in the Pacific Theater. "The Second Division saw much action, with great losses," he writes. "Yet I never met an enlisted man or an officer who doubted for a moment the outcome of the war. Nor did I ever meet a marine who asked why, if victory was so sure, we couldn't have it immediately. It was just a question of slogging through till the enemy gave up."
According to Paul, at the cross Christ triumphed over the cosmic powers — defeating them not with power but with self-giving love. The cross of Christ may have assured the final outcome, but battles remain for us to fight. Significantly, Paul prayed "to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" — embracing both the agony and the ecstasy of Christ's life on earth (Philippians 3:10).
|
|
In all these sufferings, large and small, there is the assurance of a deeper level of meaning, of a sharing in Christ’s own redemptive victory. |
We will never know, in this life, the full significance of our actions here, for much takes place invisible to us. When a pastor in an oppressive country goes to prison for his peaceful protest, when a social worker moves into an urban ghetto, when a couple refuses to give up on a difficult marriage, when a parent waits with undying hope and forgiveness for the return of an estranged child, when a young professional resists mounting temptations toward wealth and success — in all these sufferings, large and small, there is the assurance of a deeper level of meaning, of a sharing in Christ’s own redemptive victory.
-Philip Yancey
Learn more about Grace Notes eBook
Visit Philip Yancey's blog
 Learn More |
(Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of Grace Notes. Image attribution: Christian chaplain helmet by Robert Nay [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)
