SUFFERING

devotion for Sunday 3/4/12

Many years ago, there was a young girl who liked to be independent. She didn't mind playing by herself, because then she could pretend whatever she wanted and no one would try to change the game or make fun of her for her ideas. She loved to play at the park near her home and was proud that now her mom thought she was old enough to go there on her own. She would play there alone for a long time and then go home when she heard her mom calling her from their front porch.

One day while she was at the park playing by herself, she decided to explore a little more than usual. She headed toward the deep woods behind the park, where she knew she was not supposed to go alone. But there was a man back there with a smile on his face, so she said to herself that she wasn't really alone - there was even an adult there! She kept her distance from the man and wandered back and forth at the edge of the woods, looking down at her feet and kicking the grass with her feet as she walked. Suddenly, she noticed that the man had approached her, and he asked her if she wanted to go exploring. She loved to explore! She even read stories about child explorers, so this really excited her. He seemed friendly enough, even though she could see now that his clothing was a bit ragged, and his hands and face were smudged with a little dirt. The excitement of the adventure overtook any fears she had.

That was soon to change. As soon as she took his hand and they entered the woods, his grip on her hand grew stronger. And when she tried to pull away, he grabbed her arm tighter and dragged her deep into the woods. She wanted to scream but the terror and struggle took away all her breath as she dug her heels into the dirt to no avail. She could barely manage a few grunts as she cried to leave her alone and let her go! But he told her to shut up and continued dragging her until they were at what appeared to be a temporary campsite. There were many unspeakable things that happened next to that little girl. He then tied her up in a most degrading way and left her so he could walk away for a moment. In that instant she felt so weak and helpless, defeated. But she noticed when she gave up struggling, her arms and hands relaxed and the ropes started to slip off her wrists. Her guardian angel helped guide her as she escaped through the woods and was able to make her way back home. It took many years, but she eventually was able to look back at this horrible situation and learn from it and help others who suffer from traumatic events.

This is how life is sometimes. We think we are fine and quite happy to be independent. We "wander off" from God and do things our own way. While we are depending upon ourselves, we become distracted. But Satan, who prowls around like a lion, is ready to pounce when we least expect it and our defenses are down. He is the master of deception and at the opportune moment, snatches us up, overpowers and restrains us. It appears he has cut us off from all help at times, and we may feel we will never be able to return to God. Satan whispers in our ears that God will be angry with us if we try to escape. But nothing could be further from the truth! Once we give up struggling so hard to rescue ourselves and relax, we are able to let go of the situation and let God handle it. He rescues us and welcomes us back with open arms - no angry yelling, no shameful belittling. God gives us the power to escape the clutches of sin, death and the devil. Hopefully we learn from even the worst of our suffering, at least to depend upon God and to know that he is always there for us.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV

written by Jan Andersen