Oswald Chambers was blunt about sorrow and difficulty. Nothing is gained by saying there ought to be no sorrow. “Sorrow is,” he said, and we must face it. Sin, sorrow and suffering are facts of life, “and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.” I find myself in hearty agreement with Chambers’ observations about sorrow in his devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest.
Chambers insists that one must not ask that sorrow and difficulty be prevented, “but ask that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of sorrow.” He cites the attitude of Jesus as the example to follow. When Jesus was sharing with his disciples that the hour had come for him to die, he said, “Now is my heart troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”
To embrace this attitude, I must believe that God not only allows suffering but he also has a purpose in it. His purpose in the crucifixion of Jesus was to fulfil his plan for the salvation of the world. So I must look for God’s purpose in my suffering and sorrow. A good friend told me, “God used my wife’s suffering to show me my need for a closer walk with Christ. Without the difficulties she has endured, I would be still be a hollow man with trivial faith.” Sorrow can indeed burn away much of a person’s shallowness.
It is not difficult to recognize a person who has been through the fires of sorrow. Such a person is not proud or arrogant; he is not full of himself. Instead he is full of gratitude for the sustaining and undeserved grace of God. Thankfully, God uses hardship to toughen and strengthen those who walk with Jesus. Sorrow enlightens our understanding of what really matters. The weathering of life’s storms tends to open our eyes, making us aware that we are not the only ones being scorched by sorrow’s fires.
Chambers contends that someone who has been through the fires of sorrow will have time to talk with you about your own troubles. But, he says, a man who has not suffered will “have no time for you.” And if you have been through the fires of sorrow yourself, and you are willing, “God will make you nourishment for other people.” Feast upon that marvelous thought for a while. Embrace it as solid truth. It could be the open door you are looking for, the doorway out of the suffocating darkness of lingering grief. Dare to believe it for yourself. Speak it into your soul: God can make me nourishment for others. Ask God to do it. Let Him break the chains of self-pity so you can walk on through the fires of sorrow.
Doing so will provide value and dignity for your remaining years. It will get you excited about what God wants to do with the rest of your life. I know this because, with the help of Jesus, I am walking through the fires of sorrow. And I am convinced that everyone enduring suffering and sorrow is looking for someone who has been through the fires of sorrow, someone who can nourish their soul with hope for the future.
Walk on! Step lively. Walk through the fires. Jesus will help you because He wants to make you a blessing to others and He cannot do that until you choose to say, “I will wallow no longer in my sorrows!” + + +