Suffering for a Purpose

I was pouring my heart out to the Lord the other day about a situation in my life that gives me no peace. As I asked Him to speak to my heart through His Word, He led me to a Scripture in the Book of Job: “But by means of their suffering, He rescues those who suffer. For He gets their attention through adversity.” (Job 36:15 NLT) As I asked the Lord how this Word applied to my life, He showed me that when He allows us to suffer, He has a good purpose for it. In fact, He uses our suffering as a means of our total and lasting deliverance. By using our adversity to get our attention, He gains the opportunity to impart wisdom and revelation to us that we would not receive from Him otherwise. Often, it’s in our times of pain and heartache that we seek God the most desperately, and that we get still and quiet before Him, and actually give Him a chance to speak to our hearts.

The Message Bible translation of this verse says: “But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers from their suffering.” If we will cooperate with the Lord in times of suffering, and work with Him to learn the lessons He has for us, He will lead us along His perfect pathway of healing, wholeness, and freedom. Perhaps you are experiencing severe financial troubles right now. Know that the Lord wants to use them to lead you to financial freedom. Or you are struggling with a bad habit that has you in its grip. Believe that God is using your struggles to bring you out of that bondage forever. Jesus died so that you could be free. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what it is He wants you to learn from your suffering, and know that as you follow His lead, you will find victory, abundance, and freedom!