I've spent the past couple days battling off the flu or something and am finally feeling better. I opened a book this morning that I've been reading on and off the past month or so and, since I couldn't remember where I was, opened to the three (no idea) bookmarks I had marked. The first one I turned to talked about suffering. And, while I can't say I know about REAL suffering, I think we can all relate with what was written. It puts life back into perspective. It brings meaning to the hymn "It is well with my soul" that came on my ipod this morning as I was walking to a meeting. And it helps me to set aside what I think is best and trust the Almighty God in whom I rest secure.Here's part of what I read (taken from "Praying Backwards" by Bryan Chapell - a great, great book on prayer):
"This... reminds us that Jesus designed the Lord's Prayer to reveal his desire to give us more fully, graciously, and suitably the very things we most want but mistakenly seek elsewhere. He does not want to deny us our desires but helps remove the false objects of our affections so that we will have the greater blessings he longs to lavish on us.
The prayer for daily bread reminds us of God's provision of manna in the wilderness...The prayer for daily bread reorients us to God's purposes. With such prayer, we petition God to provide our greatest satisfaction through the things that he determines will most glorify him in our lives. Thus the prayer for daily bread is not just a request for boring whole wheat. We pray that God will provide all that is best for us and in so doing sustain our faith...
Suffering proves neither that someone has been faithless nor that God has failed to provide daily bread. Jesus assures us that those who follow him will sometimes face suffering and death (John 15:20)... God always answers the prayer for daily bread by providing for our greatest needs. Those needs, however, are not always the physical and material. Jesus said, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matt 4:4)..."
And while what I quoted doesn't actually talk much about suffering, the passages before and in between talk brothers and sisters in the faith in places like Sudan and who in the midst of suffering they had a much more deep understanding of God's provision and Christ's willingness to endure suffering for our eternal security. (definitely worth picking up a copy of this book!!!)
