In Suffering...

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, 22nd of July, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start at Job 13:15:

"Though He slay me, yet will I still serve Him."

Then we go to Matthew 26:42:

"O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

We're talking today about suffering. Some of the greatest heroes in the Bible are not those who can part the Red Sea or call fire down from heaven. No, those doing God's will and experiencing suffering - those are the men and women of the highest form of faith and the most glorious of all Christian achievements.

Reading 'Streams in the Desert', that beautiful devotional, we see examples of great faith. Charles Parkhurst said: "Great faith is exhibited not so much in doing as in suffering." To be going through an extreme test and yet to still stand by faith is what the Lord is looking for. In my humble opinion, Job is probably the greatest man of faith in the Bible. Why? Because he went through hell, literally, and yet he did not deny the Lord. He did not back off. He stood firm and said, "Even though I die, I will still serve the Lord." That is the kind of faith that God requires from you and me.

Remember, Jesus didn't have to drink the cup of suffering; by the way, it wasn't a cup of prosperity but a cup of suffering. He didn't have to drink it. He could have said, "Father, I didn't want to do this." If He had said that, you and I wouldn't be here today, but He went through with it. He said, "Your will be done." That is what God is looking for in the world today - men and woman, boys and girls who can stand up and say: "Even though the going is tough, I'm still going to trust the Lord." Remember, the school of suffering graduates exceptional scholars. That's where you learn - you don't learn it anywhere else. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts; you have to live the life.

So today, remember, it doesn't matter what you're going through. It doesn't matter how hard it will be; the Lord will ultimately see you and me through, but by faith. We need to drink that cup. The people that have influenced my life more than anybody else are the old ladies who have been told, "There is no hope for you. You are about to die. Go home and make yourself comfortable," and then to see them, still smiling and saying: "I can't wait for the great day." Those are the ones who have inspired me to keep on walking this walk, by faith, in Jesus Christ.

Have a wonderful day. Jesus bless you, and goodbye.