Please go to:
http://www.scripturezealot.com/sufferingchristians/
and take a look.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Prayer - Grace in Trials
This is a Puritan prayer from the book Valley of Vision. This was the prayer for November 23, 2009 at Banner of Truth at the Daily Devotion link. You can find others at the Scripture Zealot blog.
Grace in Trials
Life-Giving God,
Quicken me to call upon thy name,
for my mind is ignorant,
my thoughts vagrant,
my affections earthly,
my heart unbelieving,
and only thy Spirit can help my infirmities.
I approach thee as Father and Friend,
my portion for ever,
my exceeding joy,
my strength of heart.
I believe in thee as the God of nature,
the ordainer of providence,
the sender of Jesus my Saviour.
My guilty fears discourage an approach to thee,
but I praise thee for the blessed news
that Jesus reconciles thee to me.
May the truth that is in him
illuminate in me all that is dark,
establish in me all that is wavering,
comfort in me all that is wretched,
accomplish in me all that is of thy goodness,
and glorify in me the name of Jesus.
I pass through a vale of tears
but bless thee for the opening gate of glory
at its end.
Enable me to realize as mine the better,
heavenly country.
Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage.
Uphold my steps by thy Word.
Let no iniquity dominate me.
Teach me that Christ cannot be the way
if I am the end,
that he cannot be Redeemer
if I am my own saviour,
that there can be no true union with him
while the creature has my heart,
that faith accepts him as Redeemer and Lord
or not at all.
Grace in Trials
Life-Giving God,
Quicken me to call upon thy name,
for my mind is ignorant,
my thoughts vagrant,
my affections earthly,
my heart unbelieving,
and only thy Spirit can help my infirmities.
I approach thee as Father and Friend,
my portion for ever,
my exceeding joy,
my strength of heart.
I believe in thee as the God of nature,
the ordainer of providence,
the sender of Jesus my Saviour.
My guilty fears discourage an approach to thee,
but I praise thee for the blessed news
that Jesus reconciles thee to me.
May the truth that is in him
illuminate in me all that is dark,
establish in me all that is wavering,
comfort in me all that is wretched,
accomplish in me all that is of thy goodness,
and glorify in me the name of Jesus.
I pass through a vale of tears
but bless thee for the opening gate of glory
at its end.
Enable me to realize as mine the better,
heavenly country.
Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage.
Uphold my steps by thy Word.
Let no iniquity dominate me.
Teach me that Christ cannot be the way
if I am the end,
that he cannot be Redeemer
if I am my own saviour,
that there can be no true union with him
while the creature has my heart,
that faith accepts him as Redeemer and Lord
or not at all.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Young Man’s Testimony to Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
You can find this article at The Works of God blog.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Christianity Today Interviews Steven Curtis Chapman
Rising from the Valley of Death
Steven Curtis Chapman opens up about losing his daughter, their family's arduous journey, and a new album of songs chronicling the path of pain and hope.
Steven Curtis Chapman opens up about losing his daughter, their family's arduous journey, and a new album of songs chronicling the path of pain and hope.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand. No matter how bad the present, an eternity with Christ in Heaven will be incomparably better. So if God thinks the whole thing is worth it—and we know it will be worth it to us once we reach Heaven—then why not affirm by faith, even in the midst of suffering, that it’s worth it now?
--Randy Alcorn via Facebook
The key to this for me is "by faith". In the middle of the worst of it, I just want out. Hope for heaven isn't really any comfort. But I just have to believe that it really will have been worth it even though I can't fathom it right now.
Romans 8:18
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Suffering God
The fact that the second member of the triune God suffered unimaginable torture on the cross should explode any notion that God lacks feelings. In the suffering of Jesus, God himself suffered. No one who grasps this truth can say, “God doesn’t unders...tand my suffering.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a Nazi prison camp, “Only the suffering God can help.”--Randy Alcorn via Facebook
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Randy Alcorn Quote on Suffering and Eternity
Shouldn’t we suppose that many of our most painful ordeals will look quite different a million years from now, as we recall them on the New Earth? What if one day we discover that God has wasted nothing in our life on Earth? What if we see that every agony was part of giving birth to an eternal joy?--Randy Alcorn via Facebook
Romans 8:18
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Book Review: Deserted by God?
Book Review: Deserted by God? by Sinclair Ferguson
Whether you struggle with guilt over sins in your past, feelings of abandonment and betrayal, physical illness or affliction, bereavement, unfulfilled dreams, or any other similar problem, you will probably find a chapter that speaks directly to you.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Anti-Depressants Can Be Gift From God
With all the talk of how much anti-depressants are over-prescribed, I would imagine that a lot of Christians who are taking them may feel some guilt. Read what John Piper has to say:
What's Your Take on Christians Using Antidepressants?
What's Your Take on Christians Using Antidepressants?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Bibliography of books on suffering and evil
I mentioned the book If God is Good in a previous post.
Here is a Partial Annotated Bibliography from the book. The comments on each book are very helpful.
Here is a Partial Annotated Bibliography from the book. The comments on each book are very helpful.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Discount Personal Feelings
Tim Challies offers us a quote from Jim Andrew’s Polishing God’s Monuments.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Suffering and What's Important
Suffering has a way of reminding us which things in life really matter, forcing us to depend radically on God, and thus purifying our obedience to God's will.
--Craig Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Suffering, Grace and Joy
A post on my other blog. (Don't tell anyone it's me.)
I haven't written anything personal for quite a while. I hope it blesses somebody out there.
I haven't written anything personal for quite a while. I hope it blesses somebody out there.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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