THE COMFORT OF REALITY
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
©1988, REVISED AND EXPANDED JULY 2007

Several years ago, three American Southern Baptist health care missionaries serving in Yemen’s Jibla Baptist Hospital were brutally murdered by a satanically deluded Muslim. It turned out that one of his victims was a woman doctor who had been providing extraordinary medical care for nearly a year to his wife. Asked why he chose to kill such an obviously good woman who radiated pure unconditional love for all Muslims, and especially for his wife; the murderer said: “My wife told me that no one had ever treated her with such love and tenderness as Dr. Myers. When I saw how this love had so touched my wife, I knew I must kill this doctor. Because a love so powerful was dangerous, it could turn all my people away from Islam.” [i]

Last week as I was cleaning out my office, I came across a copy of the May 8, 1999 issue of World Magazine which I had saved for future reference. The cover story related the account of the Columbine High School Massacre in which two teen age boys went on a killing rampage. When the shooting started, dozens of terrified kids sought refuge in the school library. Eventually, the murderers strode into the library. “One of the killers tossed a pipe bomb that sent books flying. Jocks would die, they announced.”

“Then the killings began. Eyewitnesses heard one assailant taunt [a 17 year-old Christian student named] Cassie, asking if she believed in God. She hesitated momentarily, then said, “Yes, I believe.” “Why?” the killer demanded, then shot her in the face without giving her a chance to answer. Cassie would have had a good answer, her parents, pastors, and friends agreed. “Cassie’s life was centered on Jesus Christ.”

Many people can’t help wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to worship a God who would allow such horrible carnage to happen. After all, it stands to reason that if there is a Divine Creator responsible for the existence of our universe, such a Supreme Being must be all knowing as well as all powerful. Knowing beforehand every single instance of man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man that would occur in the course of human history, as well as the fact that the Creator was going to maintain a “hands off” position, and then speaking the world into existence; a god such as this has to be a fiend.

No thanks, they are apt to tell you. If that works for you fine, but I choose to believe it was simply a case of some unfortunate people being in the right place at the wrong time. In other words, their luck ran out. Obviously, these are not the sentiments of Bible believing Christians. Nevertheless, the sudden unexpected death of a Christian loved one does have a way of testing the faith of the survivors to the max. Compounding our burden is the fact that all too often, we tend to focus on the people or circumstances which are responsible for the heartache we all experience. Allow me to explain.

A boy poking Spike the dog with a ten foot long pole is bound to evoke a reaction. Spike might run away, bark, growl, or if provoked enough, attack the pole and bite it. Although he is aware of the kid’s presence, his whole attention is focused on the thing that is tormenting him, the pole. All too often this is how we also respond whenever we are being distressed by another person or circumstance. We ought to instead look beyond our burdens and accept “the comfort of reality.” Allow me to again explain.

The first two chapters of the Book of Job give an account of a series of horrendous events that were destined to occur in the life of a godly man named Job. We are privy to a scene involving the Lord God and some of His holy angles and Satan that took place in Heaven. Acknowledging God’s absolute control over His entire creation, Satan asked God’s permission to afflict Job severely. God granted his request with a singular restriction; Job’s life must be spared (Job 2:6). Soon afterward; on two separate occasions, Job’s life was disrupted immensely. Satan let loose with what might seem to us like a series of devastating projectiles bursting out of the barrel of an AK 47 rapid-fire assault-rifle. Each of them tore into this godly man’s heart. Immediately, Job experienced intense pain, sorrow, grief, humiliation and its accompanying loneliness.

A bolt of lightning had come gushing out of the blue, and incinerated every one of his 7,000 thousand sheep, and all but one of the men who were tending them. Rustlers swarmed down from the hills and murdered every one of his hired hands except one of them before galloping away with all 3,000 of Jobs camels. Next, what must have seemed to Job as though it emanated right out of the bowels of Hell, a furious tornado came twisting out of the wilderness and struck the four corners of his oldest son’s home causing it to come crashing down, crushing all seven of his beloved children to death. Finally, the man himself was severely afflicted with a horrible disease (Job 1:13-19; 2:7).[ii] And, you and I know that none of these awful tragedies could have occurred unless our divine Father in Heaven allowed them to.[iii]

Most folks would find it extremely difficult to even think straight if they had just experienced such incredible losses. Job, however, by the Grace of God, was able to think with exceptional clarity. He looked beyond his painful circumstances, beyond the atmospheric disturbances and those evil men and Satan, and he saw reality. He was able to say “…The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b). Notice he didn’t say the Lord gave and evil men and horrendous weather conditions and Satan has taken away, but rather acknowledged God’s hand in everything that was happening to him when he said “What, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil” Job 2:10. Especially noteworthy is the fact that the Lord did not send these afflictions upon Job as punishment for any sin.

Few have been called upon by God to suffer as Job did, and yet, no human being will escape trials, tribulation and suffering (Job 5:7, 14:1).[iv] Whenever we do, we must look beyond the ordeal, beyond our fears, beyond our pain and suffering and take comfort in the knowledge that whatever we may be experiencing, however awful it truly is, has been in eternity past, planned and ordained by God to occur in our present (Ephesians 1:11; Daniel 4:35)[v]. Painful experiences that were planned by a heavenly Father who loves each of His adopted children so much that He often disciplines them.[vi]

He also planned and ordained, that, when the fullness of time had come, He would send forth His only begotten Son[vii] would suffer and die and agonizing death and then rise again to save His people from their sins[viii] in order to enable them to live a godlike life today, (John 3:16) [ix] and enjoy eternal happiness with Him later (Psalm 73:24).[x] In other words, back in eternity past, God planned to allow the greatest evil that could ever occur in the course of human history to enable Him to bestow the greatest blessing on those humans willing to freely accept the gift of forgiveness of their sins through the Precious Blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. A friend of mine is fond of reminding me that “God often allows that which He hates in order to accomplish that which He loves.”

In times of great difficulty we need to pray and ask God to strengthen us, by causing us to remember that we are in His hands, and that nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever be able to separate us from the love He has for us in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).[xi] We ought to plead with Him to help us focus on His faithfulness and that He will help us to remember that He will never lay a burden on any of His Son’s followers which will be greater than they can handle; (1 Corinthians 10:13[xii] and that those burdens are always tempered with mercy[xiii] that He will take every one of those often very painful experiences, and make each of them work toward our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).[xiv]

It’s especially comforting if we bring to remembrance past trials we have endured and meditate on God’s faithfulness in delivering us from every one of them. We ought to focus on how you and I have been drawn closer to Him[xv] and become more Christ-like as a result of them.[xvi] Although our present affliction may seem to be lasting forever, we can comfort and encourage ourselves and fellow Christian’s by remembering that our entire life time in this world is a mere split second of eternity (Psalm 39:5).[xvii]

Sometimes we tend to forget why would an all-kind, loving Father allow us to go through such an ordeal? Surely, if He is God Almighty, and He really cared for us, He could “pull strings” so to speak, and spare us an awful lot of heartache. Couldn’t He make things happen differently? In times such as these, Satan will tempt you and I to lose our focus and actually believe that He who is the personification of love itself would alter His perfect eternal plan. Such an unbiblical erroneous assumption will surely intensify the weight of our burden.

Some may question as to whether or not He really knows what He is doing” Infinite Wisdom replies through the divinely inspired psalmist saying, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “But none of what I’m going through makes any sense.” He reminds us His ways are not our ways. His ways are perfect, all loving, beyond our understanding, and infinitely higher than our ways (II Samuel 22:31: Psalm 25:10; Romans 11:33).

We may wonder why we must must suffer so much. Why do some really bad things happen to God’s children, members of His own family? This is a timeless question which He has not chosen to answer fully this side of eternity. We do, however, know that we live in the eight day of creation, and that He is not finished with us yet. He is busy keeping His promise to transform you and me and every other Christian into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Every Christian will manifest an ever increasing measure of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and possess self-control in his or her daily walk (Galatians 5:22). Jerry Bridges in his outstanding book, Trusting God reminds us that: “The first four traits he [Paul] mentions—love, joy, peace, and patience—can only be developed in the womb of adversity.” We also mustn’t forget that because of our resemblance to Christ, you and I will at times be persecuted, insulted and slandered, and perhaps even murdered as those folks I spoke about in the beginning of my message were (Matthew 5:11; 1 Peter 4:12-16).[xviii] This is also reality.

One of the means He has planned and ordained to effect a godly transformation in us is through trials, tribulation and suffering (Romans 5:3; 8:18; James 5:11).[xix] The old puritan Thomas Watson hit the nail on the head in his book, A DIVINE CORDIAL, later re-titled ALL THINGS FOR GOOD, saying, “A sickbed often teaches more than a sermon.” I’m sure I’m not the only one here this morning who can attest to the truthfulness of that observation.

We shouldn’t imagine we are alone in this transforming process (1 Peter 6, 7; 5:9). [xx] Circumstances may vary, but the end result will be the same. And when our trial is over, we should want to echo the sentiments of those who have preceded us and say, “It is good that I have been afflicted” (Psalm 119:71). Why would King David say that?  Listen to David’s answer: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word (Psalm 119:67).

The time will come when you and I and every other Christian will sing eternal praises to God for the change the affliction has brought about in us. Our divinely ordained trials ought to remind us that us that we are aliens on this earth (Philippians 3:20), and that we each must change (Romans 12:2) to become fit, not only to enter into God’s Heaven but also to enjoy Heavens best.[xxi]

You and I must humble ourselves under His Mighty Hand, being ever mindful of the fact that He will deliver us when He has accomplished everything He has planned through our painful ordeal (1 Peter 5:6).

God almighty knows exactly what He is doing (Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 3:19; Romans 11:33).[xxii] Nothing will prevent Him from accomplishing everything He has planned on accomplishing (Ephesians 1:4-5; 11-14). He will do this in His own way and according to His time table. You and I and every one of our fellow Christians will glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 11:36) and enjoy Him forever (Psalm 73:25-26).

A smoke alarm sounding loudly in the middle of the night is designed to get our attention, to motivate us to take action, perhaps flee for our life. We can also ignore its warning or silence it with a quick blow from a hammer. The choice is ours. To choose the latter is to effectively deny reality, and we will most certainly experience the consequences of our foolish decision.

Refusing to believe and trust God, who is the absolute ruler of His universe and all its inhabitants (Psalm 103:19), is also a denial of reality. We ought to be prepared to receive lots of encouragement from one Jesus called “the father of lies” (John 8:34) to do just that. Satan will cleverly disguise the “hooks” of fear, worry, anxiety and depression in hopes that we will be greatly enticed to eagerly devour these kinds of bait (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22). He wants you and me to view our situation as being hopeless and to convince us that we are helpless. In other words, he wants us not to trust our Creator in all circumstances and to drive us to despair, to give up.

God is our Creator (Genesis 1:1), and you and I and all human beings are the apex of His creation (Genesis 1:26-27). He has furnished us with an instruction manual, the Bible. If we learn from it, and apply it in our daily lives, we will be able to please Him by living our lives the way He intended humans to live,  which is for their own good and His glory. If only we would study it often and then believe it, we will receive tremendous comfort, encouragement and hope (Romans 15:4).

Among other wonderful things, it will soon become apparent that Christ wants us to enjoy peace in the midst of our divinely ordained ordeal. Listen to these beautiful soft spoken words He first spoke to His beloved disciples and now to you and me this very moment. “These things I have spoken unto you that in Me you might have peace; in the world you SHALL have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And we can take comfort in knowing this is not an isolated passage.[xxiii]

Make the time before you go to sleep tonight to turn to the end of the Book of Job, when his trial is over. Look at the tremendous blessing the Lord God showered down upon him (Job 42:12-16).[xxiv] The pessimist among us is apt to say, “Yeah, but he finally died, didn’t he.” Be reminded that, for Christ’s followers and only for His followers, death is not a “period” but rather a comma in the story of life (John 11:25-26; 5:24-25; 10:28).[xxv]

Think also of the tremendous joy Job experienced when he was reunited in paradise with all those loved ones who preceded him. It’s impossible to experience the unimaginable happiness of being reunited with someone we lost without first having suffered the pain of separation. Some folks might ask, how about the man’s precious children who were taken from him in their youth (Job 1:18-19). Suppose they’re among the lost and aren’t in Heaven. The Book of Job doesn’t answer that question, nor does the Bible. However, we do know that God never allows or causes anything to occur in the course of human history which will even minutely diminish His own glory or the eternal happiness of all those who freely accept forgiveness of their sins through the precious blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ.

We should train ourselves to habitually resist the demonic temptation to be like Spike the dog that I spoke about previously. We are human being created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Through the witness of Job He has enabled us to look beyond our troubles so that we can see reality. Each of us must humble ourselves, lower ourselves in our own estimation, under the mighty hand of God, with the absolute certainty that in due time He will exalt us (1 Peter 5:6). And remember, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5).

We ought to make time to meditate on our Father who loves us with a love so great that us that we can’t even begin to comprehend the true magnitude of it (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 3:1; 4:9, 16). This is reality! And don’t ever forget to remember that He wants us to cast all our anxiety on Him with the absolute assurance that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

In closing I suggest we store up in our hearts the wonderful Biblical truths in this brief message and guard them like the treasured possessions they really are. If we do, you and I will be able to continually rejoice in the Lord and receive the peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4: 4-7). This is guaranteed to be our experience because now we will have accepted “THE COMFORT OF REALITY.”

END NOTES:

[i] Matthew 24:9 (ESV) ⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

John 15:21 (ESV) ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Philippians 1:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

[ii] Job 1:13-19 (ESV) ¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Job 2:7 (ESV) ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

[iii] 2 Kings 6:33 (ESV) ³³ And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Job 5:6 (ESV) ⁶ For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

Job 5:17 (ESV) ¹⁷ “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

Psalms 66:11 (ESV) ¹¹ You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

Amos 3:6 (ESV) ⁶ Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?

Micah 6:9 (ESV) ⁹ The voice of the Lord cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!

[iv] Job 5:7 (ESV) ⁷ but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.

Job 14:1 (ESV) ¹ “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.

[v] Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) ¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Daniel 4:35 (ESV) ³⁵ all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

[vi] Deuteronomy 8:5 (ESV) ⁵ Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

Psalms 119:75 (ESV) ⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Proverbs 3:12 (ESV) ¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

1 Corinthians 11:32 (ESV) ³² But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Hebrews 12:6-7 (ESV) ⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” ⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Revelation 3:19 (ESV) ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

[vii] Galatians 4:4 (ESV) ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

[viii] Luke 24:46 (ESV) ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

Acts 17:3 (ESV) ³ explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Matthew 20:28 (ESV) ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 5:2 (ESV) ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:10 (ESV) ¹⁰ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

[ix] John 3:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[x] Psalms 73:24 (ESV) ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

[xi] Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[xii] 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

[xiii] Psalms 78:38-39 (ESV) ³⁸ Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. ³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

Lamentations 3:32 (ESV) ³² but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

[xiv] Romans 8:28 (ESV) ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

[xv] Judges 4:3 (ESV) ³ Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

Jeremiah 31:18 (ESV) ¹⁸ I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God.

Lamentations 2:17-19 (ESV) ¹⁷ The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes. ¹⁸ Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! ¹⁹ “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.”

Hosea 5:14-15 (ESV) ¹⁴ For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. ¹⁵ I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Jonah 2:1 (ESV) ¹ Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,

Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV) ³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV) ¹³ When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Lamentations 3:19-20 (ESV) ¹⁹ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! ²⁰ My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

2 Corinthians 12:7 (ESV) ⁷ So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.

[xvi] Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 (ESV) ² It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

Romans 5:3 (ESV) ³ More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

James 1:3 (ESV) ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

John 15:2 (ESV) ² Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Hebrews 12:10-11 (ESV) ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

[xvii] Psalms 39:5 (ESV) ⁵ Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

[xviii] Matthew 5:11 (ESV) ¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

1 Peter 4:12-16 (ESV) ¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

[xix] Romans 5:3 (ESV) ³ More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Romans 8:18 (ESV) ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

James 5:11 (ESV) ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

[xx] 1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV) ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5:9 (ESV) ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

[xxi] Romans 8:18 (ESV) ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV) ¹⁷ For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

[xxii] Psalms 104:24 (ESV) ²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Proverbs 3:19 (ESV) ¹⁹ The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;

Romans 11:33 (ESV) ³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

[xxiii] Acts 14:22 (ESV) ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Philippians 1:29 (ESV) ²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

1 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV) ³ that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

[xxiv] Job 42:12-16 (ESV) ¹² And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³ He had also seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵ And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. ¹⁶ And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations.

[xxv] John 11:25-26 (ESV) ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 5:24-25 (ESV) ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. ²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

John 10:28 (ESV) ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.