Glorious Suffering

Glorious suffering - two words I wouldn’t pair together.  I’ll take glorious victory, freedom, grace, or blessing, thank you very much!  I’d even settle for a glorious sunset. I’ll pass on the suffering though. I’m not interested in lingering in the painful, the hard, the bitter. Glorious suffering? Is that even a thing?  

Apparently it is.  Spend any amount of time in the New Testament and you’ll see  those two words popping up together over and over. Paul and Peter  both speak of suffering in a positive light.  How? Why? What do they know that I don’t?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

SUFFERING PRECEDES GLORY.

Jesus endured the cross, knowing a greater joy was on the other side.  He walked into suffering for our rescue and deliverance wanting nothing more than to tear down the barrier between us, and bring glory to His Father. He suffered unspeakable torture, humiliating mockery, soul-crushing isolation, and painful rejection . He emerged a glorious, risen Savior. 

Speaking of Himself, Jesus told those on the road to Emmaus: “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? ”Luke 24:27 (NIV)

Suffering precedes glory. It did  for Jesus, and it does for us. 

SHARING THE SUFFERING OF CHRIST  LEADS TO SHARING IN THE GLORY OF CHRIST 

We speak of wanting to know Christ deeply, but Paul takes this idea to a level most of us aren’t comfortable with. He says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV) 

Here’s my typical response to this passage: 
“I want to know Christ”...Yes!
“I want to know the power of His resurrection”...Definitely, yes!!
“And participation in His sufferings”...Hold up!
“Becoming like Him in His death”...Isn’t that a bit extreme?!
“And so somehow attaining to the resurrection of the dead”… Yeah, I’ll take that part.

But there is no resurrection without death. Sometimes it looks like physical death. More often it looks like death to myself;  my plans, my desires, my tight-fisted ideas of what life should look like.  

Paul and Peter  took their suffering in stride as a normal part of the Christian life, and they expected us to do the same.  “To this you [as in you and me ] were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21 (NIV)

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13 (NIV)

When we follow Christ into suffering, we don’t walk alone.  He is with us: extending compassion in our pain, strength in our weakness, comfort in our grief, and kindness in our hurt. 

The deepest knowing of Christ comes most often in our deepest suffering.

SUFFERING PRODUCES GOOD THINGS IN US

“We  boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

Strength of character is formed in adversity.  We’d like a shortcut… but there isn’t one.

SUFFERING DOES NOT HAVE THE FINAL WORD...GLORY DOES 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed ... “

After recounting these afflictions, Paul calls his troubles light and momentary.  The only way he could say such a thing is because he had his eyes on eternity. He goes on to say,  “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor 4: 8-9 &16- 18(NIV)  

To the Christians Peter was writing to, the ones choosing Christ at the cost of their  lives, he says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

 In Christ, all our suffering has potential for glory.  It doesn’t necessarily ease our pain. It doesn’t mean things will get better this side of heaven, but it gives us the hope of an eternal glory that will far outlast our suffering here and now.