Now the purpose of this post is not to make God out as a brutal bruising beast that is only here to inflict pain and make us suffer.  It is to give a proper interpretation on text, even if it hurts, with hope of seeing the meaning and or cause of righteous suffering.  Often in our times of personal suffering we search for answers, solutions, and/or ways to remove the pain and darkness in our lives.  We also hear wrong theology and bad advice as we journey through our pain and suffering that has intentions of being comfort and sympathy.  I often have been torn when I’ve heard some of my dearest brothers and sisters in the faith say, “You know God won’t put more on you than you can bear.”  Though they are being kind, they are just a bit off in their kindness.  It feels good to the self-preserving, no pain desiring, self-seeking human nature to hear that our God, while allowing us to go through trials, doesn’t ultimately desire to crush us completely.  Really?  Is that in the Bible?

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
He has put him to grief;
When his soul makes an offering for guilt,
He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
The will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

(Isaiah 53:10 ESV)

This verse in Isaiah gives us more insight on this concept.  Here we see God the Father preordained it in His will to crush Him (Christ). So God willed his one and only Son to be crushed and stricken with grief?  But for some reason we have come to the conclusion that we should not suffer, and in our suffering God won’t crush us because He loves us.  Hmm… Interesting… Well my question is, if our God who is rich in mercy and abounding with everlasting love willed to crush his only Son, what makes us think that we won’t be crushed in our afflictions and suffering as well?  What makes us think that He will never put more on us than we can bear?  My answer to that will point on the simple interpretation of one verse:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

Observations

This verse is talking about temptation in relation to sin.
All temptation is common to man.
God is faithful and will not let you be tempted (in sin) beyond what you are able to handle.
But in temptation He will provide a way out, and by this you will be able endure this temptation.
Suffering or trials are not mentioned

Interpretation

In context the verse is speaking on sin and temptation to sin.
This verse is speaking on idolatry specifically (offering food to idols).
This verse is not speaking on the topic of trials and or suffering.
You can endure temptation with through the power of the Holy Spirit

Application

In light of tough moral choices, there will always be a way to make God glorifying decisions.
Fight temptation.
Kill sin.
Obey God.

So from the looks of things, this verse is often misquoted and not considered in its proper context, which leaves people who are suffering delusional and often mistaken about the character of God.

Let’s look at a few more portions of scripture, and for the sake of brevity I will let scripture interpret itself.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.  But that was to make us rely not on our selves, but on God who raises the dead.

(2 Corinthians 1:8,9 ESV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

(2 Corinthians 4:7-12 ESV)

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ESV)

We can conclude many valuable things about our suffering from these verses.  The goal of this post is not to produce a fatalistic state of mind about our suffering.  The goal is to present a realistic view of suffering and the magnitude that we may suffer, whether it be because of sin, sanctification, or the mere fact that we live in a fallen world.  Here lies the hope, for the scripture is true.  Romans 8:28 states that all things work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.  That’s the paradoxical hope: that even in our suffering, pain, or death, God loves us and has our best interest in mind.  So, will God place more on us than we can bear?  I would have to say yes, especially if the load of suffering that he places on us serves to bring us back to His loving arms from our wayward way of living or if is shows our great need to depend on him.

Suffer well my friends…

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Have you ever heard the statement “God will never place more on you than you can bear”? I have – numerous times!  Whether in a song or a sermon, that statement became very common to me. Throughout my youth (ages 12-18), I believed this statement with all my heart and it quickly became the motto of my life.   I believed that God would never allow his people to suffer in any way shape or form.  However, upon recently moving to Atlanta and enrolling in The Imprint Institute, the Lord has been moving in my life, allowing me to see suffering through a different lens.

One verse that was difficult for me to grasp was Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”  I never understood how it could please a father to crush his son until it we fleshed out the text while studying the book of James.  Imprint Institute Director Aaron Anderson explained that, there is nothing the Father wouldn’t do in order to make us whole and conform us to the image of His Son.  In this case, this action involved His Son Jesus Christ suffering beyond comprehension, crushed and humiliated, for the purpose of our salvation.  That is how much the Lord loves us!

In light of this truth, the statement “God would never place more on me than I can bear” turns into “God would never withhold anything that will ultimately lead to my conformation to the image of His Son”. It wasn’t until this class, that the reality that we are called to suffer for His sake became real. Throughout the length of the course, God also revealed to me that suffering isn’t something to run and hide from, but it is something to embrace when it shows up in my life. Romans 5 states that we should rejoice in suffering in knowing that suffering produces endurance, character, and hope (v. 3-4). The hope stands to show that the end product of suffering is not brokenness, but ultimately wholeness in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Two years ago, two of my aunts passed away unexpectedly, thus losing two of the most influential women in my life.  My aunts, along with my now-deceased grandmother and my mother, helped build the foundation of the woman I am today.  They taught me how to fluently speak two languages, how to do math, how to cook and clean, and how to walk in heels.  But of utmost importance, they helped establish my faith in the Lord.

I thought my world was rocked when my grandmother passed as a young girl.

As a woman, suddenly losing my aunts surpassed any sadness I could have ever tried to prepare for.

In my mind, it wasn’t their time to go.  They were supposed to see me graduate with my Masters degree, be honored at my wedding, and play with my children.  I wanted to fulfill my promise to one of them of taking her on a hot air balloon ride and going to Paris.  I was supposed to help my other aunt write my grandmother’s biography.  These were my desires, my plans, and my goals.

However, the Lord saw differently.  My heart was crushed.

I battled feeling hurt by God’s perfect will.  I became distant with the Lord and consequently distant with community.  I buried myself in school and work, and quietly cried myself to sleep each night feeling alone and angry at the Lord.

I saw how the loss of these two women weakened my mother and tore my family apart.  In our carnality, my family and I handled mourning and coping in our own ways, leading to emptiness and dissatisfaction.  I felt slave to my pride, and slave to being my family’s savior.  Even amidst community, I didn’t feel the freedom to mourn and continued to push through suffering in silence.  This eventually left me dry, numb, and burnt out.  I resolved to continue to mute my emotions and attempted to move on.

Early this year at The Imprint Institute, we began to really breakdown what the Bible says about Christianity and suffering.

We heard teachings from different pastors on the God’s purpose for us in suffering. We learned how suffering was not a demonstration of God’s loss of control.  To the contrary, we saw God is always completely sovereign and good, just like we see in Job, Lamentations, and the Psalms.

Our perspective and understanding as humans is so small and limited compared to the Lord’s power and knowledge.

Questioning, judging, or making assumptions about why God saw it fit to take my aunts revealed my deeply rooted desire for control.  Even if the Lord provided me with all the answers to my questions, those answers would not provide the comfort I seek.  I was missing the point all along.

As we continued to dive into our study on suffering, I realized that just like in Lamentations 3:19-24, my true and everlasting comfort lies in the Lord and His presence alone.  This whole time I had become cold and bitter towards the Lord for taking away two of His many gifts He had given me for a period of time.  I selfishly allowed my love for them to become more satisfying than finding complete joy in the Lord.  Because my plans didn’t line up with God’s will, I allowed my suffering to falsely shape His character into one of an emotionless, careless tyrant.

I realized this was far from true, and the lies I believed these past two years came crashing head on against the truth of God’s character and His Word.

In one of our classes taught by John Onwuchekwa, he said, “The purpose in life here is not to seek a scenario but to seek a Savior.”  I believe that wrestling through these truths alongside the teachings and community at the Imprint Institute helped me see my sin in my suffering and helped me run to God for comfort.  He is the only true Supplier.

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The beauty of Imprint lies in the convenience of receiving a seminary education without leaving my ministry context.  Initially, the thought of being back in a classroom was NOT appealing, considering I graduated college 20 years ago!  I was relieved by the cohort based program, which provides ongoing community with guys who are also juggling both family and ministry.  It’s been a tremendous opportunity to acquire theological training and apply it within my given context.  

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Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

When you read these verses they sound great in theory and it’s even possible to trust and believe them as true through the power of the Holy Spirit, the question always is how do you apply them to your life?  It is a difficult thing to do, but what happens when you suffer not for the sake of the Gospel by way of physical or emotional persecution but for the sake of living in crappy fallen world.  I don’t know the answer fully but these thoughts may help…

To the one that I never got to meet, sometimes I wonder why, but the truth of the matter is that I may never understand why God allowed you to die.  I have so many questions that can’t be answered right now; questions that I think sometimes may not need to be answered.  What was your gender?  What would you look like?  I will miss hearing you cry, seeing you smile, and watching you laugh for the first time. Hearing your feet slap the floor as you run around the house.

I trust in the sovereignty of God I know that is plans are good and perfect even if they may seem to hurt us at times. I must say, and this is not new to Him,  I really felt as if God was bullying me.  I know that may sound obscure but that was the genuine feeling that overwhelmed me to the point of tears.  The tears were tears of pain, despair, doubt, anger, grief, and so many other emotions that I couldn’t even name at the time.  To add to this already hard issue, this all was taking place on the heels of a big move from Branson Missouri to Atlanta Georgia, getting a new job, getting to know a new place and being around new people.  It just didn’t seem like an ideal time for any more obstacles, but who am I to say when the right time is for God to cause pain in my life?  Although my Granny always told me not to question God, I couldn’t help but to ask why.  Why me?  Why now?

As I was reading The Problem Of Pain by C.S. Lewis I came across an interesting quote, where he penned “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”  Although I didn’t feel the intense holistic pain that my wife felt during this process, I sure did experience the emotional hurt that came from us loosing a child.  If God shouts in our pain, it was through this pain that I heard him loud and clear, but I must admit that I only heard a shout.  My understanding of what was said or being said is still in shadows.  The one thing that I do know and continue to rest in is that in the midst of my pain God is yet still redeeming my family and me.  I trust in the scriptures and the character of God, and I know that His love is insurmountable towards His children.  In that I know that he desires for me to be complete in Him, and if this pain was a part of the completion process I must say that what is to come must be awesome, not because of the pain I experienced but because of the my God who caused it.  For the scriptures state “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

“If tribulation is a necessary element of redemption, we must anticipate it will never cease till God see the world either redeemed or no further redeemable.”

C.S. Lewis

Image via Creative Commons

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Imprint gave an overview to the Bible and mission.  The vaulable part of being a part of it, was being involved with community as you learn these thing,s and being challenged how does this influences how you see the God of the Bible.

Shane Kidd, student

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Imprint served as a perfect place to be able to explore the nagging skepticism that I had left in my heart. From the cliched and common, “Why would God hold us accountable for a rebellion he knew we’d incite and could’ve prevented?” to the mind-numbing mysteriousness of Genesis 6, I finally had a safe place where I could confront my faith, or lack thereof. The best thing that Imprint did for me was allow me to wrestle! And the weird thing is, I can’t even say that the wrestling gave the answers I was looking for. In my searching, I believe God actually replaced all of those questions with one (because this one question has been at the center of every doubt of mine): Do I believe that HE is good? And this question is one that knowledge will never be able to answer for me. I’ve learned, most importantly, that my faith is not grounded by the information that I gain, but by a belief and hope deep within my own heart, that I am dependent on God alone to sustain.

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Imprint has been such a tremendous blessing for me over the last 10 months. Beyond all the great teachings we received, I was most challenged in getting back to the fundamental truths of the Gospel, loving God and loving others. To have a discipleship program like this is such an answer to my prayers. I would definitely encourage everyone who has a desire to grow in their relationship with the Lord to sign up for Imprint, and prepare for God to rock your world.

- Richard Mullen

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My name is Jonathan Goode. Im 25 years old, newly engaged, and run a small non-profit ministry I started with some friends a few years ago. After graduating college from Georgia State University, I felt God calling me to pursue my ministry as a full time vocation. With limited formal training to prepare me for ministry, I knew I needed to take some time to further solidify the foundation for the ministry God was calling me to. I chose Imprint to help in that endeavor… What I got was so much more.

I started Imprint to learn, intellectually, what I needed to know to run a ministry. Now, after completing the course, I know that God used the leaders of Imprint to do something far deeper. Imprint taught me about the importance of the local church, more specifically my role within its success. Through Imprint, I realized the importance of making my life work around my church instead of trying to make my church fit around my life. I also learned real culturally practical lessons like how the church should respond to homosexuality.

Did Imprint give me a deeper understanding of the Bible? Absolutely, but biblical knowledge alone only leads to pride. Imprint taught the Bible through the lens of application. It takes all the wisdom on all of those pages and makes it really practical for people looking to apply it in the 21st century. I love Imprint, and I recommend it to anyone looking to know God more than they already do.

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