To finish up our I Lift My Eyes series, Pastor Josh looks at the topic of suffering. Specifically, he explores what’s necessary in order to make it through suffering with hope and faith (Psalm 27:13-14). Suffering is one of the most difficult causes of the dark night of the soul. And suffering comes for us all. But we can make it through suffering by giving ourselves to a few things:
- We have to process our emotions rightly. This often means not repressing our emotions but letting them be expressed to a God who can handle them.
- We need to have right belief. Specifically, we need to believe that suffering is meaningful and produces things in us that otherwise would not be there.
- We need to have right practice. In suffering, this means giving ourselves to community so that we are not suffering alone.
COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS:
- Pastor Josh started off his sermon by reading the story of Mary, who suffered greatly but endured through it with a message of hope. This is what we all aspire to in our suffering: to make it through with our hope still intact at the end. Are there any stories of someone suffering faithfully that have inspired you?
- In order to make it through suffering with our hope intact, we have to first focus on processing our emotions rightly. This often means refusing to repress our emotions, and instead venting them to a God who can handle them. Are you afraid to let God know the real emotions you are feeling? Are there any emotions that you’re holding back from sharing with God?
- Second, we have to have right belief. Specifically, we have to believe that suffering is meaningful and produces things in us that otherwise would not be there. What is a personal example of this? How has suffering produced something that in the end you were thankful for?
- Finally, we must have the right practice: community. None of us can suffer alone; we must have others beside us. Community can carry us when we feel like our strength or hope is lost. Who are you currently connected to that does this for you? What relationships do you need to invest more in so that it can function as a strong support system for you?