Blog - Reach

^{1 Peter 5:9}

^{Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.}

The other day I received a message about a family in one of the tribes we visit in Nepal. Last week the family gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, but there were some extreme complications. The mother suffered from severe bleeding, and the baby boy was born with no digestive holes. The family immediately rushed the baby to a local government hospital and then quickly moved to the capital hospital for emergency help. They were fortunate to help the mother’s bleeding issue, but they could not save the child.

I was drawn to this scripture in 1 Peter “knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” There is something about this scripture that rings so true and is also a great comfort. Suffering is happening all over the world. Suffering is not a respecter of persons; in fact, it is an aspect of life that believers should expect and, to some degree, desire. It is a common theme in the new testament, a theme that allows us to understand the life of Christ in a more profound way. Nobody wants to suffer, but we need to at times; if there was no suffering here, we might begin to think that the best had already come.

What are you suffering from today? Who around you is suffering today? Have you lost your job, or maybe you hate your job? Is money a problem for you, and perhaps you aren’t sure how you will make it? Has addiction had its way with you? Are you struggling to shake a sin? Are you being persecuted for your faith? Do you have issues with a friend or family member that has caused fights? Are you struggling in your marriage, maybe battling a divorce? Are you struggling with health? Do you or one of your family members have cancer? Has someone you know or someone you loved passed away recently? Are you having trouble getting over the loss of someone? Maybe you are struggling to get over your past? Are you struggling with anxiety? Depression? Are you ok, but somehow you’re not ok at all? Are you struggling to find your purpose? Are there days where you aren’t sure why you’re here?

If any of these ring true to you or someone you know close to you, then you are in good company. Isn’t it a comforting thing to know you aren’t alone? It is comforting when you realize that other believers don’t have it all together and that other believers are going through the same things that you are going through. So often, when we are facing something, we feel the need to hide it like no one else would be able to understand, but the truth is your brothers and sisters everywhere can probably relate in more ways than you can imagine because we all suffer at some point, and we will continue to suffer until we leave this earth. With the curse of sin comes suffering in this present age.

Here are a few things to encourage you. First off, remember that you aren’t alone. Don’t believe the enemy’s lie that no one can relate to or understand what you are going through. Don’t isolate yourself, and try and handle these sufferings on your own. The body of Christ is a family that helps encourage and strengthen one another in times of suffering. Remember that someone you know has gone through what you are going through, and you have gone through what someone else is going through. Not only that, but in our weakness, He becomes our strength. Our state of weakness is that place where the power of Christ rests upon us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our place of suffering is not always a place of discipline and defeat; in all reality, it’s a blessing and our place of victory.

^{Philippians 3:}^7-11

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith ina] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Second, remember that this isn’t our home. We are just passing through this place, and while we do, we are doing our best to take on His image more and more each day! Suffering for the Lord and in the Lord is what produces and perfects our faith. The very thing that we loathe is the very thing that builds and solidifies our faith to be stronger in Him. Whatever suffering you are experiencing in life right now, learn to suffer well. These very things that you are experiencing are the very thing that are building your faith. It is testing your faith, and it is producing fruit in your life as He begins to perfect you through these trials. Your character is built and established in trials, not triumph. Don’t rush the very season that is seasoning you. Remember that your perspective during the storm determines your position after the storm.

James 1:2-4

²My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Third, maybe you aren’t in a season of suffering right now. Remember that someone else is. How can you be a blessing to them? Is it prayer they need? Is it an ear they need? Is it a hug, a night out, a meal, a word of encouragement, a reminder that everything is going to be ok? Maybe they need your presence, or maybe there is something you can provide. Maybe as Reach was able to help in this situation in Nepal. A family suffering eight thousand miles away, but we could still provide food and a blanket for comfort during their season of suffering. How encouraging to know that someone eight thousand miles away cares about your pain. How comforting to know that someone you go to church with on Sundays sees you and cares. How comforting to know that someone you work with cares about you and is willing to esteem you higher than themselves in your time of hurting. If you are a believer, you are a part of an active body, maybe your part isn’t as big, but the smaller members are just as important (1 Corinthians 12:22-24). It’s not a matter of which part you are; it’s a matter of you doing your part. Maybe you are suffering, but remember someone else is too and, in some circumstances, much worse than you. Through it all, we are never victims; we are always victorious!

– Mike Dickey