This little paper is being written particularly for my brothers and sisters in Christ who at present are suffering physical illness, pain, or the weakness and the weariness that is a part of physical suffering. Though we have no record of the Apostle Paul undergoing the suffering associated with illness and disease; yet he suffered more than most in his day, and he gives us a list of some of those physical sufferings in the later chapters of this epistle. In writing to the Colossians he tells us that he "Filled up that which is behind, (left), of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the Church". That is he did it for you and I, and what he says in this passage applied especially to him, and to those that suffered with him.

Yet it does apply today to those that suffer sickness, pain etc. who have not brought this upon themselves because they have lived a sinful life, and have abused the body that God has given them, by indulging in various sinful habits and excesses in the past, before they came to Christ. It is a fact of life that many of the dear saints of God that have lived an exemplary and a holy life, are called upon by God to suffer some of the most dreadful things. This is a mystery to many of us as to why our loving Heavenly Father ordains it so. But this mystery may be explained somewhat by the understanding of the passage that we are about to consider.

At the time we are passing through these experiences, it would seem that these things could not possibly come from the hand of God, and must be against us. Jacob thought the same when his sons returned from Egypt, minus their brother Simeon, and bearing the sad that there would be no food for them in that terrible famine, unless they took their youngest brother Benjamin to Egypt with them.

Poor Jacob was heartbroken: Joseph was dead and gone, and he would never see him in this life again. Simeon was in gaol in Egypt, and he might never see him again, and now they must take Benjamin, (the darling of his old father’s heart), and he exclaimed, "All these things are against me". However he little knew that the most wonderful years of his long life were about to begin. He had no alternative but to let Benjamin go, but when they returned with Benjamin, and had Simeon with them, and were accompanied by wagons that they had not taken with them to Egypt: But above all they had news that Jacob never expected to hear, "Joseph is still alive". This was just too much for the old man, and he passed out on hearing the news. When he revived and saw the unmistakable evidence of Joseph’s provision for his journey to Egypt, he said, "It is enough, Joseph my son is still alive, I will go an see him before I die", Genesis 45:28. Thus began the last seventeen years of his life, perhaps the most wonderful years of his pilgrimage.

The question comes to many minds, how could such things as you are passing through possibly be for your sakes, for your good and blessing? This is only because of the wonderful love of God. Romans 8:28 tells us that "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose". Could God possibly make a mistake? Does His word mean what it says? Surely the answer is YES, God makes no mistakes, and His word does mean what it says. Then let us give thanks for the "All things" that in His wisdom and His love He allows to come into our lives. Ephesians 5:20.

Next we learn how that it can be so. He pours His abundant grace into our lives to enable us not merely to bear the affliction, but to conquer it. Romans 8:37. The miracle of His sustaining grace causes many to give thanks to God for the grace poured into your life, thus it redounds, (swells back to Him), to His glory. Thus others are blessed and challenged by what they see in you. It also makes them to draw near to God in prayer, and to intercede on your behalf. This experience is a blessing to them, as it enables them to express the love and compassion of God that is in their hearts for you. But as they ‘Draw near to God"’ He ‘Draws near to them", and this is a wondrous blessing to them, and to you!

It is for this reason that we do not faint, and though the outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. God uses the pain, the suffering, the weakness the humiliation to reduce the outward man, to fashion us after the likeness of Christ. The Poet says, (Quoting the words of that Master Sculptor, Michelangelo, "Tis as the marble groweth less, the likeness groweth more". But God’s enabling grace is poured into your life each day, so that "Fresh supplies each hour we meet, while travelling home to God".

Sufferers may find it hard to accept that what they pass through is light. But those saved by God’s wondrous grace will surely agree, it is light compared with what we deserved, and compared with what the lord Jesus passed through for us. And it is "But for a moment", and again as weary day follows weary day, and the years drag on, some would scoff "Who would say it is just for a moment?" But compared with eternity, compared with a thousand years, what is even a lifetime? It is like a vapour that appears for a little time, and then it is gone. A lifetime may be 30, 40, 50 60, or even 70 years, (But rarely does an illness or an affliction last this long), but compared to the greatest of all ages, it is certainly "But for a moment". It is also "Light", compared with the eternal weight of glory, as we shall see.

The light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. This is also very wonderful to realise, this thing that we groan about, this thing that we wished had never come to us, this thing that we would gladly have gotten rid of out of our lives, it is working for us! The glory that is works for us in exceeding measure is both heavy, and enduring. There are those that would say that it is dishonouring to God, if a believer suffers from disease. That sickness should never be accepted, that it is from the Devil. They contend that the Christian believer has a perfect right to perfect health. How mistaken, how deluded such people are!

I Challenge all! "Which is best, to miss the affliction, to have it removed, and thus miss the daily abounding grace of our God. To deny to Him the glory that it will bring. To deny to other believers the blessing that causes their hearts to abound in thanksgiving, and at length to miss the weight of glory that it will work for me. Or is it better to have the affliction, and the trial, and all these things that it brings to me, to God, and to my brothers and sisters?". I will leave you to answer the challenge of that question.

This verse does not make the foregoing conditional. That is these things continue to operate even if we take our eyes off the unseen things, and instead are filled with self-pity, and groan under the affliction. But it does mean that if we do allow our gaze to be distracted from the unseen and eternal things, we may lose the sense and the enjoyment of the things that we have been discovering. But it is ourselves that we rob. God in His grace continues His work; He will not be denied the glory that is due to Him. But we may lose the sweet comfort, and the joy that occupation with the unseen; the eternal things, can bring to us now.

I believe the answer to this question is found in verse ten of the next chapter. It is there at the judgment Seat of Christ that the rewards are handed out. I have sometimes said to a suffering brother or sister, "I shall be there when you receive your reward, and how my soul shall rejoice, as I remember what you passed through here". There will be no complaints when we stand there, but as the members of the body of Christ are glorified, we shall rejoice with them. That weight of glory, you will enjoy throughout the thousand-year reign of Christ. Then when things related to time are all wound up and finalised, eternal glory awaits us all. When we shall be with Christ, and in our bodies of glory, that are like unto His glorious body, like Him for eternity. Who can imagine the surpassing joy of all that awaits us? Truly it passes knowledge. The hymn writer has written-

There with unwearied gaze

Our eyes on Him we’ll rest,

And satisfy with endless praise,

Our hearts, supremely blessed!

Oh Lord hasten that wonderful day we pray, and in the meanwhile continue to pour thine abundant grace into the lives of Thy suffering saints. Enable them by Thy grace to rise above their circumstances. Fix their eyes on the unseen, the eternal things, and above all upon Thyself; the Eternal One!