Perhaps we pray for God to save us from suffering. And maybe our family and friends try to spare us from the same. But we must also have the faith and courage to endure the cup of suffering God has given us. This is our cross to bear.
To be sure, Christ prayed for his cup to be taken away if at all possible, but ultimately surrendered to the will of the Father. And Jesus told Peter to put away his sword when the soldiers came to arrest him – fully accepting the suffering he was now about to endure.
Of course, this suffering of Christ was a necessary suffering to accomplish God’s larger purposes. And wisdom still calls us to avoid any unnecessary suffering whenever we can. But we must also consider the possibility of God preparing certain paths of pain for our growth, and for his glory.
Certainly, athletes don’t win gold medals without first enduring the suffering of training. And the cup of suffering God gives us can be viewed in a similar way. In fact, Scripture tells us Christ learned obedience through the things he suffered. As such, our suffering should not be viewed merely as a difficult situation to avoid. Nor should we assume that something must be wrong with us or that God doesn’t love us because our story is marked by suffering.
For instance, those hard seasons in marriage, work, parenting, or the like, might be the cup of suffering God has given us. And there might never be a clear “lesson to learn” per se. But as we live by faith we trust that God is using even these momentary afflictions for our good and his glory.
With Christ, we can definitely pray for this cup to be taken from us. But we ultimately surrender to God’s will and not ours.
In the end, drink the cup of suffering God has given you in faith and hope. This is for your good and his glory.
Photo by Victor Furtuna on Unsplash
