Suffering with the Saints

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."
Psalm 46:1-2

At Life Group last week I downloaded and played the biography clips from The Rebel's Guide to Joy series taught by Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church, Seattle. We then discussed all the most interesting points that struck out at us from the subject's life, and discussed particular bible verses that related to pain and suffering. It was a surprisingly inspired evening.

This verse, above, really resonated with me for a number of reasons. Firstly it states that God is our help and is 'very present'. Two magnificent statements: that you could have the creator of the universe, the greatest and most holy being that ever existed, present and helping in your time of trouble. But what it doesn't state is that God is our solution to the problem at hand. We assume he could be, as he's sovereign, but he chooses not to. Interesting...

The second thing you notice is that even though he's present and helping, the earth is still removed and the mountains are still thrown into the sea. He may not stop massive devastation from happening in our lives, but he does help us through it.

One of the real interesting points that came up in this Life Group evening was that many of the people studied experienced suffering that didn't seem to be linked with the gospel in any way. They couldn't say they had the honour of suffering for Christ. It was just generalised pain, sickness and death that anyone might experience. That must have felt so purposeless at the time.

But yet it wasn't. They fought, didn't give in, and their lives comfort us and testify to God's grace.

"In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33