Take a few deep breaths to center your heart and your mind as you prepare to meet with God.

Meditation on God

Imagine the Spirit of the Lord hovering over the nothingness and the darkness at the beginning of creation. With nothing but words, He speaks light into being. A lot of times in our suffering, that’s what we feel like. There’s no hope, there’s nothing there. Where we see darkness, God sees the opportunity for light. Where we see nothing, God sees what could be, turning what is void into something great. Take a moment to picture a dark room, and listen as God speaks light into it.

Teaching

Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:5-13)

Watch out that no one deceives you. Such a strong warning from Jesus gives us pause when we hear it. In a private conversation with just a few select disciples, Jesus starts to speak of things to come. Difficult times, difficult situations, and challenging events in the world will change the landscape of their lives, making us wonder if there’s anything we can put our hope in that won’t crumble or fade. It’s moments like this in the Bible that I relate to the most.

God sees all things, but instead of leaving us in our suffering, He chooses to walk with individuals and with His creation. Jesus’ warning comes just before a period in Jewish history in which the Temple will be destroyed and never rebuilt. Where Jerusalem will be laid to waste and forever scorned, never to return to her former glory. This would be a challenging thing to hear, because Jerusalem and its Temple are the only places they know that they can meet with God. Their destruction would be a challenging thing to understand, but Peter, James, John, and Andrew would watch these events happen with their own eyes in the future just like Jesus said they would. Pain is a hard thing to handle, but Jesus never shies away from talking about the struggles and suffering that come with following Him. The world and its governments, powers, and even spiritual forces oppose him, working in opposition, and struggling against God’s redemption and love for us.

When we pick a side, we open ourselves up and give permission to follow the trail of suffering. This path of suffering does not just have trials or tribulations, but ultimately has a divine and eternal purpose. The destruction of the Temple would have been painful to them, losing all they had cherished and hoped in, but in its place will be a bloody cross and an empty grave, offering a path to God stronger and steadier than the Temple ever was. So, in your life, do not expect God the Father or Jesus to work in any other way, but take the desolation of your heart and lean into God transforming you beyond what you hoped or imagined. 

Examination

Nothing, whether good or bad, from relationships to jobs, safety to the place you live, is promised to us. A change of mindset is in order, because the gospel asks crazy things of your suffering, changing it from the proof of evil and the enemy winning toward proof of change and the hope to come. Take a moment and ask yourself this question: where are you suffering in your life right now?

Now, hold out a tightly closed fist in front of your face, palm up. Imagine that your suffering is in that clenched fist. Now, tell God that you’re giving your suffering to Him to do what He wants with it, and open your hand.

Memory Verse

If God never wastes pain, He will not waste your suffering. Trust and believe He is with you, and choose to see your pain as an opportunity for God to do it again. Let this verse be a reminder of how God longs to use your pain to transform you.

“Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.” (Mark 13:13b, The Message)”