My wife told me my last post was too long. Therefore I aim to be more brief in this post, which, for those who know me, is another trial :-) A passage that has been a source of great comfort over the past ten years as we have cared for our oldest son and which is again reminding us of God's good purposes in sending suffering to his children is Hebrews 12:1-11. The entire letter to the Hebrews is a powerful encouragement to Christians who are suffering and wondering if it is worth it to keep truting in Jesus. (I've preached through the entire book and you can read or listen to these sermons from our church's website: www.riverhillsonline.org)
The author begins chapter 12 by saying, "Therefore, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Chapter 11 describes a number of OT people who had faith in God's promises throughout their lives and yet never received what was promised in their lives. Just as these men and women trusted God through the course of their lives so we must trust God through the course of our lives. Just like them we have had a race set before us. Like runners in any race, we do not set the course. The course is set for us. Our job is to run to the end.
How do you run when all that you see appears to contradict what you've been promised? Verse 2: "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." For the Christian while we remember all those OT saints who lived by faith, we fix our attention on our great God and Savior Jesus. He is the chief runner. He was the first one to truly finish the race. How did he do it? He looked past the pain to the joy that waited at the end. He treated the horrible cross with contempt in view of glory that was coming after the cross.
There are two things that help me keep trusting in the goodness and wisdom of God in the midst of this painful race. First, I look at the suffering of my friend and Savior. While I sat next to my son's hospital bed that first day, weeping for him and his suffering I remembered the suffering of Jesus. He was innocent and holy and he suffered hell for me and my son. His suffering was infinitely greater than any suffering I will ever endure because he suffered for me. He bore it in my place and so I can bear whatever suffering he places in my race.
Second, this is temporary. There is eternal, infinite joy awaiting me and my son and all who trust in this Jesus. The apostle Paul sums it up so well: "I consider that the sufferings of this present age are not even worth comparing to the glory to be revealed to us." Jesus suffered the cross and has entered the joy by finishing the race so that all who trust him will join him in the joy. Two times I've run in a 20 mile race here in southern WI. Both times the only thing that kept me going the last 2 miles was the thought of the joy waiting for me when I got to stop running at the end of the race. The pain is temporary, the joy is forever and it has been guaranteed by Jesus the one who now waits for me to finish at the Father's right hand.
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