May 24

TODAY IS…

the right day to thank God for the storms in our lives.

“And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”  Hebrews 2:10b NLT

The fact that Jesus had to endure the suffering that He did is a difficult concept for many people to comprehend.

In fact, the whole issue of suffering is a major sticking point for some, and the question is always asked, “How could God stand by and watch the suffering of His own Son?”

We all know that God did not stop it. What we spend so much time contemplating is “Why did He not stop it?”

The suffering of Christ was His final display of perfect obedience to the Father. His suffering made Him the complete sacrifice, earning salvation for the rest of the world. His suffering at the hands of those He came to save demonstrated to the rest of the world that storms enter the lives of even the very best of us.

But out of those storms, things of beauty arise, just as Christ rose from the dead before ascending to heaven.

During storms, things around us often look harsh, dark, dangerous, and emit a sense of foreboding. But we usually see soon after that the storm has created new life and things of beauty. The suffering that we endure as a result of the storms in our lives will produce within us a greater understanding of the pain of other human beings. It will enable us to be greater providers of comfort to others during the storms in their lives.

No one likes to suffer, and God does not enjoy watching us stand and face our storms. Obedience to God can lead us into stormy weather, but the Lord will lead us safely out again, and we quite possibly will be pleasantly surprised at what is revealed after the storm has passed.

Instead of questioning God’s intentions, we should thank Him for the storms in our lives and ask Him to reveal the beauty that can be produced as a result.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

May 24, 2020

Author’s Note: While preparing today’s devotion for posting, it quickly became obvious that it was a perfect candidate for the “In Cancer” series. After all, cancer certainly qualifies as a storm in the lives of those afflicted, doesn’t it?

More important is the proximity in which it places us to others whose storms are raging with an even greater intensity than our own.

Sitting in the waiting room at the radiation treatment center, or sitting in the infusion center while receiving chemotherapy, one needs only to open one’s eyes to see that there are those whose suffering is truly greater than that we are experiencing.

It certainly is true that I don’t always feel great, and while the inflammation in my throat is wreaking havoc with any attempts to eat normally and actually enjoy eating, it is obvious that my physical discomfort at this point pales in comparison to that experienced by others.

So where is the ‘beauty’ in all of this?

When we are awakened to the pain and suffering of others, our eyes are opened in a way that is truly pleasing to God, and that is beautiful is it not?

When that awareness moves us to pray for others, that concern and love for our “neighbors” is pleasing to God, and this, too, is beautiful, is it not?

There will always be cynics, skeptics, and doubters who will think that it is a bit masochistic to find any sort of beauty in pain and suffering, but then they are individuals who have not come to know the beauty that arose out of the pain and suffering of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Whether we have cancer or not.

Whether our lives are currently in the midst of storms or basking in the warmth of a sunny day.

No matter the condition of ourselves or those close to us.

When we take the time to pray for, and demonstrate love and concern for those we see around us who are experiencing stormy weather, we show the Father that we understand His command to “Love thy neighbor.”

Once our eyes have been opened to the pain and suffering of others, we will learn a simple concept: When your life is in the middle of a thunderstorm, pray for someone whose life is in the middle of a hurricane.