Job 36:15 “But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.

I don’t know that I’ve ever really noticed this verse before; it wasn’t underlined in any Bible I’ve used for the past 30 years! The NIV says, “He speaks to them,” but the Japanese says, “He opens their ears.” The point is not that God doesn’t talk to us until we are suffering, it’s that we often don’t listen until we are suffering. That’s a very important distinction! Any suffering is ultimately worth it if it gets us into intimate fellowship with God. Fanny Crosby is one of many examples. She was blind, but wrote many, many hymns of worship and praise. There were some clunkers, but several are among the best-loved hymns of all time. She allowed her suffering to open her ears, and the whole Church benefited. Some people respond to suffering as she did, but some simply harden their shell, cutting themselves off from God and from those around them. That is true tragedy! Jesus affirmed that in this world we would have troubles, (John 16:33) but He also told us to rejoice, because He had overcome the world. We won’t rejoice in the middle of suffering unless our hearts are open enough to Christ to recognize His victory.

I am certainly no exception to the rule here. I don’t feel like my personal sufferings hold a candle to what some people endure, but they still have the potential of either opening me up or cutting me off. My choices are what determine which it will be. As a pastor, I am constantly dealing with people who are suffering in many different ways. Some of their suffering puts anything I’ve experienced in the shade, but sometimes their suffering is largely in their response to circumstances that really aren’t so bad. That calls for wisdom as well as empathy. Suffering is ultimately subjective; to someone in minor circumstances, their suffering feels just as great as what someone in major circumstances experiences. I must not forget that! Sometimes I need to bring a word of correction to such people, but I must never make them feel worthless in the process. I am to be a channel of love, grace, and comfort first of all, and then correction as necessary. I don’t have the wisdom or insight to keep that straight, so I’ve got to depend on the Holy Spirit at all times, for Him to direct my words and my actions.

Father, You know the situation I’m in the middle of dealing with right now. I’ll have more direct interaction with it today. I ask You to guard my lips so that I don’t say anything that is not of You, but rather allow Your Word to flow through me to break down the lies of the enemy and set people free on all levels, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!