When I have a hardship in my life, a trial or some form of suffering, my inclination is to try to run from it. To do something of my own will, to come up with a solution to shorten it or escape it if possible. If it’s unfair treatment, my natural/human response is to self-preserve, self-assert to shed the wrong that is happening to me. Aren’t we all like that?

But when unfair treatment, suffering, and temptation happened to Jesus. He did not act of His own will. He placed Himself under the authority of the Father. He said, ‘I don’t act on my own will, but the will of the one (Father) who sent Me. (John 5:30) He did not retaliate when He was insulted, or threaten revenge when He suffered. Instead, He entrusted His case to the Father to judge fairly on His behalf. Instead of giving back what people deserved, He gave back good. Laying down His life.(I Peter 2:23) His obedience to the Father led to demonstrating God’s extraordinary kindness and love towards us. It led to Him being raised in glory and one day to rule as King over all. 

For those who consider ourselves Jesus-followers, He instructs us to set aside our own will as well. To ‘“take up our cross” (Matthew 16:24) This is not a burden to carry, it’s death to our self will. Peter writes, “God has called you to this. To do good, (while enduring unfair treatment) even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.” (I Peter 2:21) Giving blessing and doing good when dealt injustice and hardship. He says this is rewarded by God and is very precious to Him to see. (vs. 20)

In the book of Isaiah it says, “It pleased the Lord (Father) to crush Him (Jesus)” (53:10) 

He did this in order to demonstrate His deep love for US. It is His kindness that leads people to repentance. (To turn from following ourselves and follow Him instead.) In His extraordinary love for us, the Father did not withhold His only Son from suffering, in order to show this kindness.(Romans 8:32) In the same way, He will not withhold us from (the cross) suffering in order to demonstrate HIs unnatural kindness, unnatural love to those around us. This happens when we do as Jesus, committing our case to the Father, to not self-assert. To instead give others blessing and good in exchange for the hardship or unkind treatment they are giving us.  HIs extraordinary, unnatural kindness through us, can also lead others to repentance, to eternal life in Jesus. It can save their souls!

So, It’s clear in scripture we have good reason not to run from hardship. And we’ve been given a mission in it, a calling that can demonstrate the kindness of God in the midst of it. And change lives.

But, there’s more…

In the Bible, the book of James is a letter written to a persecuted, suffering church. It starts out…(James 1:2-4)

“When you encounter various trials, consider it  ALL JOY…”

“Encountering various trials” …It’s the idea of being tempted, tested, perhaps like an experiment to see what will the outcome be. 

It continues…”Knowing that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow…”

“Endurance” being ‘“the ability to be steadfast, unswerving from the mission, purpose, or loyalty of faith (in God) even in the greatest trial and suffering.” The Greek word ‘hypomone’ is the verb form of this word, literally meaning to ‘remain under.’ Jesus placed His will under the Father’s will when He begged “Please don’t let Me have to do this. But let your will be done, not mine.”

When we suffer hardship, there are multiple things happening. 

One thing, It is a test—how will we respond? Will we ‘remain under’ what God wants to happen in the situation?

I recently heard an atheist who used to be a Christian eloquently articulate the journey he’s heard many in his position have taken. It started with suffering or hardship. A person crying out to God for relief, resolution, healing, etc. whatever it might be in the given situation. Doing this over a long period of time and not getting the resolution, or fix. Questioning if God was really hearing or caring. Getting tired of waiting, deciding to just ‘make it happen for themselves.’ 

I believe we all have, or will at some point, experience the kind of testing or hardship, where God will not meet our expectation. Where we may be, as I’ve heard described, ‘confused, disappointed, mad, depressed, or devastated that Jesus did not answer as I hoped, or intervene as I pled, or deliver as I begged, when my heart feels dull and heaven feels far.’ I have been there. 

I think of John the Baptizer being in a similar situation. He did what God called him to do. The short-term reward?…he was unfairly seen as a threat and put in prison to rot. He was Jesus’ cousin. He was the one who prepared the way for Him, and even baptized Him. Jesus was fixing for everyone else around. Healing all sorts of sicknesses, casting out demons, and calming storms. Clearly He had the power to fix John’s situation. What John must’ve been feeling and thinking. ‘Was Jesus going to get him out of this mess?’ Even he questioned, and sent his followers to ask Jesus, “Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 

Jesus told them to go back and “tell John of the miracles you’ve seen—‘the blind see, the lame walk, the sick are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.’ And tell him

GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO DO NOT GET OFFENDED by Me and turn away.” (Luke 7:18-23)

When God does not meet our expectation, we may doubt his love and care for us. We can pull away from Him in our disappointment and detach from the source of life. And then find we’ve run dry, run empty of our own strength to endure. And then decide to make the thing happen for ourselves. 

But there is another way.

James writes, “…BUT LET ENDURANCE DO ITS WORK IN YOU…”

We’re not only tested when we experience suffering. We have the option to let the hardship transform us. 

“…SO LET IT GROW.

FOR WHEN YOUR ENDURANCE (“ability to remain under”) IS DEVELOPED, 

YOU WILL BE 

COMPLETE AND

WHOLE, 

NEEDING NOTHING.”

It’s so upside down from our natural human inclination and perspective. When we have difficulties come, we naturally feel incomplete and lacking. And we’re inclined to self-assert to meet our need. But the truth is that we can follow Jesus’ example and step where He stepped, placing our will under God’s. When we let our trials do their work in us…when we ‘remain under’ God’s authority, letting Him lead our reactions, we are engaging in the very process that makes us more whole in Him, more complete in Him, closer to the state of ‘needing nothing’. And this is the ‘joy set before us.’

In this place of ‘enduring’ we have so many promises:

That what we’re doing is “very precious in the sight of God” (I Peter 3:4)

That there is commendation and reward from Him. (I Peter 2:20)

That He is always with us. (Matthew 28:30)

That HIs Spirit guides us and if we let Him lead our steps we won’t do what our natural humanness desires. (Galatians 5:16, 25)

That the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, lives in us with the power to do what He leads. (Romans 8:11)

That He gives wisdom for the asking. (James 1:5)

That this “light and momentary affliction is making for us a weighty and eternal glory” (reward).” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

That if we “share in HIs suffering, we will also share in His glory” (Romans 8:17)

That we’ll be “blessed with the crown of life.” (James 1:12)

“Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger or threatened with death? For Your sake we are killed, ‘led to slaughter like sheep.’ (Psalms 44:11)

NO–despite all these things

OVERWHELMING VICTORY IS OURS

Through Christ Jesus, who loved us. 

Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Death, life, angels, demons, fears of now, worries about the future

-not even the powers of hell

-no powers in the sky above or earth below

Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from from the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus our King.” (Romans 8:35-39)

You’ve maybe heard,  joy and grief are 2 faces of the same coin. I’ve heard pessimistically, ‘joy is just grief waiting to grow up.’

But if scripture is God’s word to us..

God says that actually grief can be joy waiting to grow up.

Clinging to Jesus in hardship, we find He gets sweeter and sweeter…

In Him we become more and more complete…

And more and more of our real needs being met….

ALL JOY!

I was asked once to answer,

“In the next year, what major accomplishment do you want to achieve?”

“TO REMAIN.” I said😊