Suffering Successfully (I)

Widows and their children suffer. They suffer in tears, sorrow and heartbreak when the husband and father of the house becomes deceased. And they suffer in loneliness, and many times in financial distress long after the death of the loved one. This message is to comfort widows and their children, by letting them know that they can suffer successfully.

The Categories of Suffering

There are two (2) categories of suffering, based on what the sufferer perceives as the cause for his/her suffering. They are:

(1) The sufferings that come for living right and doing what is right. This includes when Christians are persecuted for their faith. Or when people suffer due to no fault of theirs.

(2) The sufferings that come either through the mistakes of individuals, or the negligence or wickedness of others. Also, through sickness, financial lack, and every other kind of trouble (for whatever reason) that is known to mankind.

We give you to understand that the principles covered in this write-up applies to both categories of suffering. God can deliver the righteous from their sufferings. He is also able to save those who are suffering because of their own mistakes.

And so, if you are a widow or fatherless child, this message is for you, irrespective of the circumstances that led to the demise of your loved one. God is always in charge.

1 Samuel 2:6-7

The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.

Suffering Successfully

You can either suffer successfully or suffer unsuccessfully. You suffer unsuccessfully when the suffering becomes the reason for your breakdown, degradation in quality of life, loss of hope and depression. You suffer successfully when the suffering becomes a stepping stone to a greater life; when you come out of the storm better than before you went in.

In Acts 27 we are told a story of a group of 276 persons that set sail from Israel to Italy. In this group were two categories of persons: (1) Apostle Paul who was a prisoner being persecuted for his faith. (2) Sailors, merchants, other prisoners and soldiers that guarded them.

Apostle Paul perceived in his spirit that the journey would be perilous and he warned the group not to travel. But the sailors and the captain thought otherwise. The journey ended in disaster and much loss. Everybody on the ship went through much suffering, not eating for days. At some point, the soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners, and the sailors attempted to abandon the ship. They almost lost their lives, except God had heard the prayers of Paul and sent an Angel to help them.

Hannah the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1-2) is another example of suffering successfully. She was barren for years, until she partnered with God to birth a prophet that led Israel for many years. Hannah gave birth to the President of the country (Samuel) and five other children. She came out better from the storm than before she went in. So also, was Ruth, who found herself in a storm of life that involved barrenness and widowhood. She eventually came out of the over 10-year storm better than when she went in. She was said to be better to Naomi than seven sons (Ruth 4:15).

Widows and their children can similarly suffer successfully, coming out of the storm better than before they went in.

Key Steps to Suffering Successfully

We learn the key steps to suffering successfully in the story of Apostle Paul in Acts 27:

• When faced with a storm, seek God first in prayers and trust Him absolutely. Do not wait until you have exhausted all the options according to your human wisdom.
• Enlist the help of a spiritually mature Christian who can pray along with you and relay any instructions from God to you.
• Make the love of God and doing His will the only desire in your heart.
• Obey the directives God gives to you.
• Do not take initiatives that are contrary to God’s instructions or that will negate the outcome God has promised.
• Take common sense initiatives that help you weather the storm.
• Cheer up and be thankful as you wait on God’s help.

We will look at each of these steps in detail in the second part of this post.