We are moving quickly toward the last two sessions of our study, "Where to Go From No." These last two weeks will probably be the most difficult for us, moving us progressively forward from significant disappointment to suffering.
One of the biggest prayers I've offered for this study is that God would use it to minister to us individually, in the personal places of struggle in our own lives. I trust His Spirit is accomplishing that as we interact with the "No"'s found in David's life, Moses' life - and now, Paul's life. For the next two sessions, I'll bet we will have very different experiences with personal suffering. These could include broken/difficult relationships, physical/health conditions, chronic pain, infertility, financial hardship, spiritual doubts, consuming habits/addictions/temptations, emotional pain, and/or psychological conditions.
We all struggle in some area, to some degree - with suffering. We all have times when physical/emotional/spiritual pain threatens to consume us and the thought that God may never take it away is too much to bear.
In the next two weeks we are going to "cowboy up" and face the possibility that God may tell us "No" when we ask Him to take the source of suffering away - not because we have an easy fix or immediate relief is available, but because it is an inevitable part of our spiritual journey and can actually take us closer to the heart of God - where the deepest part of our soul wants to live.
Here are the stories of other Christians who suffer to the glory of God:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/nancy-guthrie-on-suffering-hope-and-the-centrality-of-christ
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/eritrean.christians.facing.unimaginable.suffering.in.egypt/28138.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/news/joni-eareckson-tada-not-shaken-by-breast-cancer-45692/
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