Suffering While in God's Will, Pt. 4

Maybe you find yourself obeying God yet in a very hard place. If God clearly
led you there, then I encourage you to stay until He clearly leads you away.

Suffering While in God's Will, Pt. 4

"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary."

(Matthew 14:22, 24)

I loved reading the remarkable biography of Adoniram Judson entitled, To the Golden Shore, by Courtney Anderson. Adoniram and his wife, Ann, were truly remarkable saints of God. They obeyed the Lord's call to go and share the gospel with the Burmese people. Adoniram would translate the Bible into their heart language, plant many churches, and serve the Lord and the people valiantly... but not without great cost. He was accused of being a spy and placed in prison. Ann and their newborn child would visit him, but the harsh conditions proved to be too much. After his release from prison, Ann died, and six months later, so did their third child. The emotional pain Adoniram suffered in the deaths of his loved ones exceeded the brutal physical hardships he endured while in prison... but he persisted. God brought him through those horrendous years. God used him to firmly plant the gospel in a country that was difficult and resistant.

Who led Adoniram and Ann Judson to leave the comforts of America and go give their lives in ministry to the people of Burma? The answer is God. He called them and placed them there to do His work. Did God know that they would suffer, and Ann and her young child would die premature deaths? Yes, God knew, just like God knows everything that has happened and will ever happen... but He still led them there.

Who led the disciples to get in the boat and sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while Jesus went on top of the mountain to pray? Yes, you read it correctly; Jesus told them to go and sail. Did He know there would be a storm? Yes, He knew, and He sent them anyway. The will and mind of God are mysterious to us as mortal and finite human beings. We at times think that since we obey God, do what He says, and go where He sends, that we will have a life free of pain and full of pleasures, but that is not the case. There are times when we suffer greatly, not for being outside of God's will, but for being precisely in His will. And yet, the safest and most peaceful place to be is in the will of God.

Maybe you find yourself obeying God and yet in a very hard place. If God clearly led you there, then I encourage you to stay until He clearly leads you away. Some lessons we can only learn while in the crucible of painful circumstances. Oftentimes, God will use the hard times to train and prepare us for assignments that demand strong character. But what about Ann Judson? She was faithful to God, yet she died overseas at the young age of 37. I do not pretend to understand why. But here we are, 200 years later, reading about and discussing her walk with Jesus and motivated to be as strong as she was.

Will you hang in there and trust God, come what may? If He led you there, then He has a reason that you may not fully understand until heaven. God will not just entrust hard assignments to anyone. He chose you because He believes in you. I am proud of you, and I may not even know who you are! But God knows. Heaven knows. And one day... my, my... what a glorious day that will be when You see Jesus and you hear Him say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."