Transcript: Finding Peace in Affliction: God's Promise of Victory

I am afflicted. And how many of us have been in this place? How many of us at times have said, God, I just can't go on this way anymore. How many of us have said, God, I do not know what to say or pray because this trouble or affliction is so great and overwhelming. Or like prophet Isaiah when he was in the midst of his troubles in Isaiah 38, 14, He said, like a twittering swallow or a crane, so I chirp and chatter, I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary and dim and looking upward. Oh Lord, I am afflicted, take my side and be my surety as a debtor being sent to prison. well the peeping of birds indicating that was expressed in sounds that made by birds a broken, unmeaning unintelligible sighing or quick breathing and moaning sounds he says my eyes are weary and dim from looking upward which meant they are drooping downward like the branches of a willow tree and this is saying that he is weak and feeble and his anguish causes him to be frail and fragile. He says, Oh Lord, take my side and be my surety for my life. Give me the assurance that I will be restored and take me under your wings of protection. Affliction in the Nelson's Bible Dictionary describes affliction to mean any condition or problem that produces pain or suffering. The Bible speaks of two types of affliction or suffering. The first one represents God's judgment on sin. Romans 2 verse 8. Romans 2 verse 8. But for those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the truth, but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and wrath. And there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who habitually does evil. and the second type of affliction speaks about the affliction or suffering that brings about the purifying of the believer as he identifies with Jesus Christ and we can read about this in 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 4 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 4 and this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches the assemblies of God for your steadfastness your unflinching endurance and patience and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecutions and crushing distresses and afflictions under which you are holding up. Verse 5 This is positive proof of the just and right judgment of God that you may be deemed deserving of his kingdom, a plain token of his fair verdict which designs that you should be made and counted worthy of the kingdom of God for the sake of which you are also suffering. It is a fair decision, since it is a righteous thing with God, to repay with distress and affliction those who distress and afflict you, and to recompense you who are so distressed and afflicted by granting you relief and rest along with us, your fellow sufferers, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven and his mighty angels in a flame of fire. With these two types of afflictions or sufferings, The first is the judgment which is designed to punish those who sin in the way of rebellion, self-willed, self-seeking, and disobedient to God's truth. And the affliction or the suffering of God is set to come to those who rebel and are disobedient to God's truth. while the second type of affliction is designed to perfect Christians and prepare them for greater service in God's kingdom. Did you hear that? There is a type of affliction that is designed to perfect Christians and prepare them for greater service in God's kingdom. And you and I as believers should have the attitude through all affliction Affliction like that of Apostle Paul when he said in Romans 8 verse 18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Hallelujah. I can say hallelujah. And so can you. If you want to stand up and shout hallelujah. You see, God's word shows us troubles or afflictions are generally for a time. That's why we can say hallelujah. And are meant to test so that those who are not sincere may be separated from the genuine members of the body of Christ. Apostle Peter likens the separation to the gold that is refined in the fire. when he says in 1 Peter 1.7, These trials have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. God's word also shows us that affliction is a means of discipline calculated to purify and train our character into the very nature and character of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul says this so well in 2 Corinthians 12 verse 6 when he said, Should I desire to boast? I shall not be a witless braggart, for I shall be speaking the truth, but I abstain from it, so that no one may form a higher estimation of me than is justified by what he sees in me or hears from me. Verse 7. And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness, the preeminence of these revelations, there was given me a thorn, a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to wrack and buffet and harass me and keep me from being excessively exalted. well obviously Apostle Paul who had been greatly privileged to see and hear the great revelations that the Lord had entrusted to him to build up the church shows that he had not reached the point of escaping any of the afflictions that God knew would keep him close to himself our heavenly father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith And if our faith is worth anything, dear one, it will stand the test. It is a poor faith that can only trust in God when everything is going well, when you are experiencing good health and your business is successful and your friends are true. But it is a true faith that clings to the Lord's faithfulness when everything is gone, when your body is wrenched and wracked in pain or your life hangs in the balance and your friends have betrayed you. It is a true and genuine faith that stands when your spirits are low and the light of the glory of God's countenance is shielded and a faith that can say in the midst of your most horrible and extreme trouble, My God, oh my God, though you slay me, yet will I trust you. And this is truly a celestial God-born spirit-filled faith in the eternal living God. And the Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself. God is greatly glorified in the graces of his people which are his own handiwork. when trial or affliction works patience and patience works experience and experience works hope the Lord Jesus Christ is honored by these growing virtues or graces in your life we would never see the beauty of the Lord if these trials and afflictions were never touched in our lives it would be likened to the fact that If the strings of a guitar were never touched, you'd never know its sound. Or the sweet perfume of cinnamon, if it was not pressed and beaten, you would never know its inviting scent. In the infinite wisdom and power of God Almighty and His great workmanship in our lives, these trials are the way by which our future joy will be heightened and attained. You cannot know true joy if you do not endure the affliction. Being an artist by training and degree, there must be various shades and colors in a painting to bring out the beauty of the lights in the picture. And so it is with the various trials and afflictions that we will go through. We will never know the sweetness of peace if we never come through the trial and learn to rest after each toil with the struggle. We learn in the word that our dear Lord and Master himself learns sympathy by being tempted in all points like we are. In Hebrews 2 verse 17, please. Hebrews 2 verse 17. So it is evident that it was essential that he be made like his brethren in every respect in order that he might become a merciful, sympathetic, and faithful high priest in the things related to God to make atonement and propitiation for the people's sins. Verse 18 For because he himself in his humanity has suffered in being tempted, tested, and tried he is able immediately to run to the cry of assistance and relieve those who are being tempted and tested and tried and who therefore are being exposed to suffering. Hopefully, we can all at this point in our Christian walk say, like King David in Psalms 119 verse 71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. Hear that again. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes or your ways or your precepts or your laws. Unfortunately, some people fight the afflictions of God. And yet, it is not the fault of the affliction, but it is the fault of the individual afflicted for being so blind that he or she could not see the love of God in their trial. the affliction might have produced in them a wonderful and true change of character if all had been right in their heart to begin with but in as much that was wrong that very process which should have ripened them into a sweetness of character produced instead a rottenness and murmuring heart God's word does not lie dear ones it declares it is good for you and me that we have suffered that we might learn the statutes or the ways of God there are many many people including many pastors preachers and teachers of the word of God who preach God's word asleep many in the congregation come to church join in prayer meetings and are asleep and I am not speaking of sleeping physically but I am saying spiritually they are asleep and we are talking about a very serious problem here have you ever seen a person walk in their sleep they did not trip over a thing but they knew where they were going in their sleep and this is how it is for many in the body of Christ today there is no zeal or a heart in their walk with the Lord and God knows that they need to be awakened by something startling or I like to say we need to have a rude or stark awakening and I know this is how it is our trials and afflictions are intended to do just this this rude awakening comes like an explosive sound of thunder and startles us. And we are rudely awakened and we say, what am I doing? Where am I? Where am I going? This rude awakening causes us to question ourselves and causes us to ask, am I really what I profess to be? Am I really plugged into my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? This shaking is like death staring you in the face Dear one it is like you have been put into the balance of the weights and measures and are being tried Apostle Paul, in his affliction with the thorn in his side, said in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7, I begged the Lord three times to remove it from me. He says, I begged him. Read with me, please, 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7. And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness of these revelations, there was given me a thorn, a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to wrack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. Three times I called upon the Lord and I besought him about this and I begged him that it might depart from me. But he said to me, hand over and dwell upon me. Verse 10, So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distress, for when I am weak in human strength, then I am truly strong, able, powerful in divine strength. In the Bible, balances or weights and measures symbolize the just scales of God. which illustrate honesty, righteousness, justice, and fair dealing. The false balances symbolize evil and bring displeasure and judgment of God's righteous justice if we are found wanting. In the rude or stark awakenings through these afflictions, we will experience what ought to be realities and will recognize that which has been a fantasy of our minds. there is a true separation from the holy and the profane as the good Lord begins to arouse and awaken us from the stupor or sleep that we have been walking in. King David again said, It is good for us to have been afflicted by way of God's instruction so that we might learn his statutes or laws. And this is saying then that trial is the method by which we will be taught. For many, we can say, welcome to the school of hard knocks. This is a place where God teaches us by his ways, and at times it seems to be like a classroom where there is very little bright light that is shining through the windows. In fact, at times, it looks very dark. And I believe this is so because our Heavenly Father knows that we could be easily distracted by the external things. So he makes known his grace and tender affection during this time which is like a glowing candle burning within. And it is by this bright flame within that we see what it is that we have not seen before. what grace what mercy dear one you can see in God's word what it is that you could never have seen before except had it not been for the fiery trial that you have just come through God's word of promise must be held dear to you because he gave it but as you get into the trial that is you pass through it is there that you test the preciousness of the promise and become personally assured and convinced that God is faithful and means what he says in his word. You have your own experience to back up his promise. You also learn that there is kindness in the affliction that he ministers to you. You never want to think that God is unkind when you are in the midst of trouble. There is only kindness in that trial and the pure love of God that streams unceasingly towards you. God's rod and his love stand together, dear church. His rod and love stand together. And I believe that as the body of Christ, we are all going to go through many trials of afflictions to prepare us for the times of trouble that are coming upon this whole world. I believe this is our Father's love and his mercy that comes and prepares and toughens us for particular events that are prophesied to unfold in the Holy Scripture that are sure to come in God's proper time. Well, Apostle Paul gives us the exhortation that when these trials come, that we should not shrink from them or take them lightly. Hebrews 12, verse 4. I'd like you to go there with me, please. Hebrews 12, verse 4. You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your own blood. Verse 5. And have you completely forgotten the divine word and appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn and submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by him. Verse 6 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone he loves and he punishes even scourges every son whom he accepts and welcomes to his heart and cherishes. You must submit to and endure correction for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons and what son is there whom his father does not thus train and correct and discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline, in which all of God's children share, then you are illegitimate offsprings and not true sons at all. In Hebrews 12, verse 6, the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom he loves. Now God corrects us because he loves us. And parents correct their children because they love their children and they train them up in the way that they should go according to God's word. And you see, if we do not see the love in God's command to Abraham, when he tested him by telling him to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar, can we not see the love in God's command to Abraham? When he tested him by saying to him, when he said, Abraham, take your son and sacrifice him on the altar. and do we not see the love of Isaac for his father when he laid himself willingly on the altar Isaac showed his love for his father by his obedience when he climbed up on the altar of sacrifice he showed his obedience his love by his obedience when he obeyed his father and Abraham showed his love to God by his obedience when he raised up the knife to bring it down upon his son. So when God afflicts his people and seems to sacrifice their outward comforts, he is doing so because he loves us. And he tests us so that we will see ourselves. Do we dare quarrel with God in the kindness he shows in the way of affliction which comes to us in his love? we would not fight against the doctor who is binding up the wounds or broken bones because he knows exactly what he is doing in bringing the cure and so many times in the natural God will use physical means to show us a wonderful analogy in the way he deals with us spiritually for example do you know how cranberries are harvested? when the fruit is ripe the cranberry bog is flooded with water and as the water covers the bush the ruby red berries separate from the bush and float to the surface where they are gathered and distributed to cranberry lovers around the world and when the flood waters of troubles and trials sweep over your soul what is the result is fruit fit for the master's use to release, to bless and meet the needs of the hungry world around you? The flood waters release the fruit, dear ones. The trials are like the floods that come and are meant to release the fruit that is waiting to be harvested and shared with others around you. There is kindness in affliction in that God deals with us as his children. And if you endure the floods that come to you, you are enduring the chastening and God deals with you as with sons, as it was spoken in Hebrews 12 verse 7. You must submit to and endure correction for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not thus train and correct in discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all of God's children share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons of God at all. God our Heavenly Father has but one son without sin, but he has no sons or daughters without stripes. affliction is a badge of adoption and it is God's seal by which he marks us for his very own a tragedy for a young girl was said to be sent by God and the young girl said how can a God of love who has everything in his control let such a thing happen to me so ask a young woman who had received severe injuries through a fall from a horse. Crippled for life, she overheard the doctor say. The pastor was silent for a moment, and then he asked her, Did you suffer much pain when they put you in the cast? The pain was terrible, she replied. The pastor asked, Where was your father then? He stood right by me, she replied. Did your father allow the doctors to hurt you that way? Yes, but it was necessary. Did your father allow the doctor to hurt you even though he loved you or because he loved you? You mean to suggest to me that because God loves me, he allowed me to be hurt? The pastor answered with a nod. This thing is from me. Let these five words comfort you, he said. This thing is from me, and they will furnish a silver lining to the cloud. Yours is not a case of hard luck or bad luck, but this trial was planned by God. And if you are his child, he is preparing you for better service. Shakespeare said, in sickness let me not so much say, am I getting better of my pain? Let me say, am I getting better for it? Let us not say, when will I be getting out of this? But let us say, what will I be getting out of this? The Lord will draw you closer to him through this trial. Dear one, should we not say, Lord, thy will be done. There is a kindness in the cross of Jesus Christ. His rod of discipline is to fit us for the eternal inheritance yet to come. In all of your afflictions, you must remember that God has given you a promise. And that promise is found in Psalms 91 verse 15. He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble and I will deliver him and honor him. God says I will be with you in trouble when all is going hard and difficult for you I will be with you I will be with you to support to sanctify to sweeten every affliction do not worry trust me I am with you my child can I tell you dear one that it comes down to the fact that you would rather be in prison and have God's presence with you than live in a mansion and be without his presence? God has given you the promise that he will not give you more than you are able to bear and he will not try you beyond your strength. Either he will make your yoke or burden lighter or he will increase your strength. And knowing that he has only love and our best interest at heart, this should make us all the more desirable to submit our wills to His when these afflictions have so much kindness in them. In all of our trials, our great and loving God and Father has left us many promises which are like gold in the wilderness Instead of complaining and murmuring in this place we should be looking for the riches that are hidden and waiting to be mined out Job said when he was in the middle of all of his trouble in Job 23, verse 7, he said, There the righteous one, who is upright and in right standing with God, could reason with him, so I should be acquitted by my judge forever. Verse 8, Behold, I go forward and to the east, but he is not there. I go backward and to the west, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand and to the north where he works, I seek him, but I cannot behold him. He turns himself to the right hand and to the south, but I cannot see him. Verse 10, But he knows the way that I take. He has concern for it, appreciates and pays attention to it. And when he has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold, pure and luminous. Job says, when the Lord has tried me, I will come forth as gold. From observing Job's affliction, those that keep God's way in the midst of their troubles may comfort themselves when they are under trial in these ways. Number one, they know that they are tried, but it is not intended for their hurt, but for their honor and benefit. It is the trial of your faith that Peter talked about in 1 Peter 1.7. 1 Peter 1.7 that says that, so that the genuineness of your faith may be tested. Your faith, which is infinitely more precious than perishable gold, which is tested and purified by fire, this proving of your faith is intended to redound to your praise and glory when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is revealed. Without having seen Him, you love Him, though you do not even see Him now. You believe in him and exalt and thrill with inexpressible and glorious triumphant heavenly joy. And the second comfort that you may comfort yourself with is that when God deems you sufficiently tried just as he did with Job, you shall come forth out of the furnace and will not be left to be consumed in it as the dross would be. remember precious one that your trial will have an end to it and God will not have you contend with it forever and the third thing to find comfort in is you will come forth as pure gold and you will be approved by God to be found good or fit to be made better hallelujah hallelujah Well, possibly you have asked yourselves at times when you are experiencing affliction, what profit or good is there in this thing? Well, let me tell you. Afflictions are disciplinary and they teach us. You could consider them the school of the cross. In many of the Psalms, they have the inscription meskel, which means giving instruction or I will instruct thee. You know, at the very end of the psalm, you'll see meskil. So the affliction has the inscription meskil on it and means it is an affliction giving instruction. Micah 6.8 declares, He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love kindness and mercy and to humble yourselves and walk humbly with your God. Verse 9. The voice of the Lord calls to the city of Jerusalem. It is sound wisdom to hear and fear your name. Hear, heed the rod of him who has appointed it. So pay attention too and heed the correction of him who has ordained it for such a time as this. the great man and reformer Martin Luther said he could never really understand some of the Psalms until he was in the midst of his afflictions and the scripture says that Gideon took thorns and briars of the wilderness and taught the men of Sukkoth with them and this means that he had these rebellious Israelites beat with these thorns and briars because instead of helping Gideon with food and water after he and the handful of 300 men won the battle against the enemy, they mocked and jeered them. This battle was fought for the whole community of the Israelites. And God, by the thorns and briars of afflictions, teaches us in these same ways. You see, affliction shows us more of our own hearts. Water in a glass looks crystal clear. But when you set a fire to it, you will see the scum that eventually boils up. When we see it, we say, wow, how nasty. And so when God lights a fire in us, all the corruption boils up and we say, where did all this come from? You did not discern that sin or fault in yourself until you had gone through the fire. and you will find that there was unbelief, impatience, carnal fears, lusts and every undesirable thing that surfaces up and faces you squarely and says, what are you going to do with these? And if you submit them to the Lord, his rod will give you wisdom. Affliction brings these sins to remembrance which have been buried in the grave of forgetfulness in the depths of our souls. Remember how Joseph's brothers for 20 years altogether were not at all troubled for their sin of selling their brother into slavery? But when they came to Egypt and began to go through the process of being discovered, their sin came immediately to their remembrance and their hearts convicted them and they said to one another, we are very guilty concerning this crime of our brother. They remembered with great regret the horrendous cruelty and persecution that they had put him through and they were embarrassed and put to shame. It could be that their hearts were convinced when Joseph said to them in giving instruction as to how to survive the famine, he said, do this and you will live, for I reverence and fear God. I believe their hearts were cut to the core with this statement of Joseph, for I reverence and fear God. You see, when a person is in distress concerning his sin, this sin becomes fresh in the mind and begins to trouble the individual and their conscience and makes a vivid rehearsal of all the evil which has passed through in their lives. I like to say that this is like an instant rerun. Have you ever had that happen to you? It is like an instant replay and it only takes seconds where God is concerned and the guilt and the shame is made clear before your eyes and mind. You stand before God as a guilty sinner and you know it. I know this I speak out of experience it is very revealing and you know that your sin has been laid bare before you this is called conviction this is what happened to Peter when he committed the great crime of denying his Lord when the rooster crowed three times deep conviction of the Holy Spirit fell upon him and the scriptures say he wept bitterly can I tell you that sincere and honest repentance of your sin brings a bitter repentance so we see the loving kindness of God in the divine justice of his rod his rod gives us wisdom and shows the hidden evil in our hearts and brings former sins to remembrance and we are given the choice as to how we will react to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Either we will weep bitterly over our offenses and sins or else we will keep the mask on and convince ourselves that our sins really do not exist or they are really not so bad after all. But there is a great profit in our afflictions as it quickens the Holy Spirit of prayer in our lives. When the righteous ones are afflicted, they will pray. When Jonah was in the ship, the scriptures say he was asleep. But when he was in the belly of the whale, he prayed. There's a testimony of a blacksmith and shows us the zeal of prayer in the midst of trouble. And it goes like this. A blacksmith known for his strong faith had a great deal of illness and he was challenged by an unbeliever to explain why his God would allow him to suffer He explained I take a piece of iron put it into the fire and bring it to a white heat and then I strike it once or twice to see if it will take the temper or become stronger and more resilient and I plunge it into the water to change the temperature and put it into the fire again and then I put it on the anvil and make a useful article out of it. If it will not take temper or become harder or stronger then I strike it on the anvil and I throw it into the scrap heap and sell it for half a penny per pound. I believe, he says, that God has been testing me to see if I will take temper. I have tried to bear it as patiently as I could, and my daily prayer has been, Lord, put me into the fire, if you will. Put me into the water, if you think I need it. Do anything you please, O Lord. Only do not throw me on the scrap heap. Don't throw me away, God. Do what you need to do with me, but do not throw me away. I believe many times in the time of health and prosperity that there are many folks who are guilty of praying cold and informal prayers because their minds and hearts are elsewhere. They put no coals to the fire in these good times. They hardly have paid attention to their prayer that should go up to God as sweet incense does as it is under the fire. why should God even pay attention or incline an ear to these kinds of prayers so because God loves us so much he sends some cross or other trial to stir us up to where we will come before him and take a hold of him precious ones he loves you with a burning passion he loves you with great desire and heart that you come to him so willingly of mind and when Jacob was in fear of his life and the lives of his whole family because of his brother Esau who was in pursuit of him for stealing his birthright the word shows that he wrestled with God in prayer and would not let go of him until God blessed him Hosea 12.4 yes and he had power over the angel of the Lord and prevailed he wept and sought his favor and he met him in Bethel and there God spoke with them and through him with us. God gives us so many examples of those who went before us, both great and ignoble men who poured out a spirit of prayer because the anvil or the hammer was upon them to temper them and bring them into subjection of their maker. They poured out prayer. Precious church, when the chastening rod of God is upon you. Your prayer becomes genuine and sincere and real and it now pierces the heavens and reaches the throne room of God your heavenly Father. Affliction is for profit or gain. It produces great gain. It is meant to purge us of our sin. Affliction is God's medicine to our souls to drive out the sick humor, the abscesses of pride and the fever of lusts and passions. Is God not good, dear ones? Affliction is for our good and profit because it is meant to wean us from the world and its ways and enchantments. They hinder us from our safe passage to heaven. These God-given afflictions are like a centennial who sounds the alarm and warns us that danger is near and a spider web awaits us. There is such kindness of God and gracious support in these times of our affliction. If he strikes with one hand as the blacksmith who brings down the hammer, he supports with the other Underneath are the supportive arms of love who is tenderly doing a good work within the depths of your soul He is driving the enemy of sin Darkness and wretchedness far from you Me too Deuteronomy 33 verse 26 There is none like God, O Jerusha Who rides through the heavens to your help and in his majestic glory through the skies. The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drove the enemy out before you and thrust them out saying, Destroy! There is not one trial that God will desert you in and will not assist you with his grace. What mercy it is to have Jesus Christ give us strength and support. as it were, and bear the heaviest part of the cross for us. We can all say, I have no great joy in my sickness or affliction, but praise God I bless him and thank him that I have his tender and sweet support. May I tell you again, this is all purposed to cause us to be submissive to his will and make us say like the precious blacksmith, Lord put me into the fire if you will put me into the water if you think I need it do anything you please oh Lord only do not throw me on the scrap heap how many times through our afflictions that it is a preventative measure for God to prevent and keep us from sin just as in the case of Apostle Paul when he experienced the thorn in his flesh Paul said God did this so that he would not be filled with pride because of what he had been shown in the divine mysteries of God. And many times, afflictions come as God's way to divert us in a different direction. Did you hear that? Many times, afflictions will come to divert us into a different direction. In our affliction, God mixes his providence. His providence is his continued activity in all of his creation, which he solely preserves and governs. He is Lord over all, and he orchestrates all circumstances and events to accomplish his purposes. He is the all-wise and all-knowing God who does not govern by chance or fate. Would you please remember that God comforts you in your affliction But you say I have been under the weight of this thing for so long I haven't experienced any comfort Dear one If you will please just shut your mouth And open up your Bible instead You will find ample comfort in the pages of the good book of life Besides prayer One of the major ways God brings comfort in affliction is by reading and hearing his word. King David is our primary example through the pages of the Psalms. In Psalms 119 verse 50, David declared, This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction, that your word has revived me and given me life. Paul in Romans chapter 15 said whatever thus written in former days was written for our instruction that by our steadfast and patient endurance and encouragement drawn from the scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope so God's word gives us life God's word breathes new life into us God's word contains the power within itself to produce fruit in your life if you will apply it. If you are too ill to read the word of God for yourself, then precious one, have someone bring you some messages on tape or CD format to play as you lie in bed and God will refresh in you through his spoken word. I would just like to say that afflictions, believe it or not, really do contribute to our overall happiness. They are a means of bringing us nearer to God. The draw of prosperity does not in any way attract us to God, as do the cords of affliction. When the prodigal son was pinched with the want of hunger, he said, I will arise and go to my father. Just as the deluge of water brought the dove back to the ark, So it is with the floods of sorrow that quicken us and bring us back to Christ Jesus. Afflictions, believe it or not, make us happy. And you know this after the fact. They are designed to be like safe and trusty escorts that guide us along the path on our journey to heaven. Should we not rejoice once we learn the value of affliction? Should we not give our heartfelt thanks of appreciation to our blessed Christ who made all things possible but mostly eternal life forevermore? Many people turn their afflictions into a pity party and feel sorry for themselves. They cannot see beyond the end of their nose. Many people have been hurt by others who have purported to be Christians. but is that any reason to stop going to church and associating with other Christians? I had a lady say to me not too long ago who considered herself a mighty prayer warrior in God's kingdom I do not trust men I do not think there are any godly men out there I have only and always been hurt by men the only godly man in her eyes and estimation was the one that she led to the Lord and then invited him in to live with her. But she said, we didn't do anything illegal. I said, lady, just because you have been hurt by men, that doesn't mean that there are not godly men in God's family. I said, I have a godly man standing next to me and he is my husband of nearly 41 years. I said you are an heir and you are blinded because of the confession of your mouth and the deception that you walk in she did allow us to pray for her and the Lord moved wonderfully in that time and poured forth his love, grace and healing into her darkened soul she said I feel the power of the Holy Spirit upon me and we told her to bask in his presence and let him finish the good work he had begun in her heart many people abandon the faith because of their lack of growth and maturity in the ways of the Lord they have put the cart in front of the horse and have run out to do something for God before they were really prepared when affliction comes for many it is because of their own doing but nevertheless the Lord desires that they see the air of their way and their sin that they are entrenched in and repent and ask forgiveness and come forth in the new joy that lies just ahead. You have heard the perseverance of Job and saw the end and how Job said, the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. Put yourselves in the shoes of Job for a moment. Number one, he lost his wealth. in rapid succession three messengers came telling Job of the destruction of his property and servants by bands of robbers and lightning and secondly he lost his family a fourth messenger came telling of the death of all Job's children seven sons and three daughters were crushed in a moment when the house fell in and third he lost his health Job was smitten from head to foot with the most loathsome ulcers and he was forced to sit down among the ashes and scrape himself with a potsherd. And fourth, he lost his friends. His servants turned their backs on him. The children in the street despised Job and mocked him. His friends told him that his sufferings were because of his wickedness and his wife nagged him to curse God and die. if you take any of these trials separately they would be great in themselves but when you look at them collectively you could almost be overwhelmed at the magnitude of what Job faced but in the midst of this calamity and affliction the scriptures in Job 1.20 declare that Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshipped his God. And he said, Naked, without possession, I came into this world from my mother's womb, and naked, without possession, I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord is taken away. Blessed, praised, and magnified in worship be the name of the Lord. In all of this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. And you know what, dear church? Job learned that God Almighty is very compassionate and merciful. The storms of life, just like the ship in the sea, drives the ship into safe harbor. And the storms of life that you are faced with are meant to drive you into the everlasting arms of love and your heavenly harbor for eternity. Peter was crucified with his head downward as he hung from the cross and James was beheaded by Herod John was banished to the island of Patmos and Apostle Thomas was thrust through with a spear Matthias was stoned to death and Luke the evangelist was hung upon an olive tree these saints of whom the world was not worthy passed under the rod of God's affliction. And when we have looked at various angles of this word today, entitled, Help me God, I am afflicted, I believe that you can say to your Lord with sincerity, Yes, Lord, do unto me according to thy will. Consider what God has already done for you in the way of his grace, his compassion and mercy. and this should make you content to suffer anything at his hand and say, Thy will be done, O my Father. He has adopted you as his child and you are special, precious and dear to him. What an honor and a privilege it is to derive your family lineage from heaven, to be born of God and belong to the family of love. When you are troubled and begin to murmur and complain at the slightest pain or inconvenience. Remember whose child you are. Remember whose son and daughter you are. You belong to the king, dear one. Let your spirit be quieted and bring your struggling will to your heavenly papa. And the word says that he has dignified you with honor and has made you his heir and you will receive your crown in due time. just remember that though you bear your cross of affliction Christ Jesus is carrying the major weight of it for you you are experiencing only a light weight of it the cross may make you weep but Jesus will wipe away every tear you just continue to say Lord, quiet my heart and spirit and give me peace and thy will be done in my life you will soon experience the sweet fragrance and the bed of spices which evidence the great love that God has for you God will raise up your soul into a great spiritual comfort and he will pull back the veil of darkness and what seem like desertion and you can say with all sincerity oh God have your way thy will be done instead of help me God I am afflicted It is here where your faith soars to new levels. Believe God, dear one. His affliction in your life is meant to cause deeper submission of your will to him. Having your will blended into God's will is a good sign that the present affliction is sanctified and ordained of God. Affliction is sanctified when it attains the end for which it was sent. think good thoughts of God when you are under trial and affliction and surely you will come to see the good in them and you too will say Lord put me into the fire if you will put me into the water if you think I need it do anything you please oh Lord only do not throw me on the scrap heap Thank you.