SURRENDER
The Perfection of Suffering
August 31, 2004
Today the Lord revealed a wonderful truth to me from Isaiah 50:4-7
ISA 50:4-7 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.The Holy Spirit showed me the power of surrender from the above Scripture. I saw first that my suffering would be used to bring a "word that sustains the weary". My mind returned to a previous lesson learned that our misery will be the message of hope to someone else. The comfort we receive from the Lord is to be shared with others. 2 Corinthians 1:4. I believe this is one of the purposes of suffering.
Then, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the way in which Jesus suffered and how He endured it all. He remained unwavering in the face of hardship in the hope of the glory set before Him....trusting in His Father to fulfill His purposes in it all.
Verse 5 says, "Nor did He run away" ... we are not to seek to run or deny our struggles and hardships. But, face them as Jesus did, "giving His back to those who struck" Him, giving His "cheeks to those who plucked out the beard" and not "hiding His face from shame and spitting." (Example seen in Matthew 27:29) I see this as surrendering to the suffering not fighting it nor opposing it.
Nor are we to fight to avoid the shame and guilt associated with suffering and failure. But, rather allow the Lord to "help" us. Trust Him to keep us from being "disgraced." We are to be determined to set our "face like a flint" toward the purposes of God. If we did so, we would be enabled to deal with the situation with patience and hope, hope that will not disappoint. We would be able to accept the situation for what it is, rather than attempting to control and manipulate it. We would learn the difference between the things we can change and the things we cannot. The end result would be a heart that is steadfast and unmovable, knowing that the Lord "will not allow us to be put to shame." We would be able to proclaim, loud and clear, "the just shall live by his faith."
Therefore, Jesus is our Example in suffering. His power was
found in surrendering. This is how suffering was perfected in His life. We see
Him struggling in the Garden, but we also see Him finally surrender to the will
of his Father. It was through His surrendered life that led to the
power of salvation for the entire world.
Dear Lord: Please help us to surrender
in times of suffering. Please help us to allow Your perfect will to be done in
our lives. Help us not to fight and oppose the work of the Holy Spirit, that
leads to a life of trust and hope in the God of our salvation. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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