Devotional for Friday June 27th

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Suffering strengthens the soul”

You may remember from previous devotionals this month that when this life is over, the only thing you get to take with you is your soul. Everything else gets left behind. Your house, your cars, your jewelry, your friends and family, even your physical body, it all stays behind and you go forward into eternity with only your soul. That being the case, the most important thing we can accomplish in this lifetime is the achievement of a healthy soul to take with us into eternity.

And so we come to the subject of suffering. Does suffering really strengthen the soul? Yes it does. Suffering draws us to Jesus. When we’re hurting it causes us to realize how much we need the Lord and it draws us to Him. I have known many people over the years who had to travel through the valley of serious illness only to find that in the middle of the pain and suffering they found comfort and assurance in the Lord. They came out of that time of sickness stronger in their faith. I’ve known others whose lives unexpectedly came crashing down around them as they lost a marriage, a job, a home, their savings, and were left with almost nothing. But they found solace and support in the Lord and in a good church family. They ended up coming through that time stronger in their faith than before that experience. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts to us in our pain.” Yes He does.

I can think of so many examples of sickness, suffering, and tragedy turning out to be life altering events for the better. That’s because when a tragic event cuts us right to the bone, the superfluous stuff of life falls away and all that’s left is that which really matters. Rick Warren wrote, “We are more likely to change because we felt the heat than because we saw the light!” That’s very true. It’s often in the furnace of adversity that we learn out greatest lessons.

Romans 8:28 assures us “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who are called according to His purpose.” (HCSB) That doesn’t mean that all things are good – obviously not all things are. But it does mean that God is at work on our behalf in the midst of tragic circumstances to bring some good thing out of it for us. One of those things can and often is a stronger, healthier, more mature soul. Suffering often strengthens the soul.

God Bless,