Dependence on God

The preacher talked about the difficulties, trials, negativities, temptations, persecution, and other unexpected challenges that may crop up in a believer’s life (even Satan is at work to cause destruction in the world). He mentioned the Thailand shootout where 31 people including children were killed. It’s our responsibility to pray for such lost people as God wants them to be saved but people are losing faith and going away from God.

We need to depend on God as He will make a way and provide for our needs/change things as He loves us. We if depend on ourselves, we’ll fail. These are the aspects to remember about suffering:

• If we live long enough, we will experience some degree of suffering.
• Suffering comes in many forms.
• Bible tells us several things we should learn from suffering.

We looked at the lives of Job and Daniel and how they turned to God in prayer/did not utter a word in defiance of God despite tremendous sufferings, and how God delivered them miraculously. Paul too suffered much for the cause of the Lord. 

Suffering shows that we are living as the dead can’t experience it. The challenges may come through family, marriage, work, and so on because God wants to change status quo, build us up, learn to turn to Him, and not depend on ourselves. Prayer is a declaration of our dependence on God. From the 24 hours that God has given us, we can certainly tithe our time to connect with Him in prayer. We need to cry before God just as a baby calls out to the mother for milk. In any or all areas, God is Emmanuel and will never leave us. He will carry us on His shoulder when we lean on Him. 

Worry tries to destroy us. We experience loneliness and dejection in sufferings but we need not worry about problems and what tomorrow may bring as Jesus has built the church and is with us forever. We need to rely on Him in any crisis and He will use us to go to the world that is still in darkness (Great commandment). We need to teach people and transform their lives.

God will give us wisdom and knowledge to deal with the situation; He will make a way. Christ is our example in suffering and we can learn to appreciate His sacrifice. We are called to suffer by the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:19-21) and to follow in His footsteps but by hook or crook we want to evade suffering.

Prayers of our brethren in Christ is a comfort amidst trials. We should lend our shoulder/pray for others who are suffering. Then we learn what real love, support, and encouragement is all about. Peter learnt that while he was in prison “the church prayed fervently and persistently to God for him” (Acts 12:5).

Let us bear in mind that the suffering we face in this world is insignificant compared to our eternal reward (Romans 8:17-18). Let us rejoice because by faithfully committing our lives, we have a great reward in heaven.