Recently, God dropped a theological bombshell on me, and my personal life is still reverberating from the aftershocks.  I know that sounds dramatic. You’ll probably read this blog and say, “Eh, nothing new here.” And it’s not new, but for me, it’s fresh and transformative.  So, I want to share it.

Two weeks ago, at Wednesday night prayer group, one of our elders, Cliff did a devotional reading from Acts 9, the conversion of the Apostle Paul. It’s a familiar passage about God’s saving power. In short, the story goes… A zealous Pharisee named Saul (later called Paul) brutally persecutes the Christian community in Jerusalem and then decides to travel 135 miles north to Damascus to terrorize believers there.  Just outside the city, he’s dramatically intercepted by Jesus who knocks him down and confronts him.  Left blinded and traumatized by the encounter, Saul is led into the city and after three days is healed when a disciple named Ananias prays and lays hands on him.  Saul believes, is baptized, and immediately begins preaching about Jesus.

As Cliff led the discussion, I became fixated on the two verses recounting God’s call to Paul, particularly the last sentence.

This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16

What a strange thing to tell someone when they first become a Christian, “Hey PauI, welcome to the family. I just want you to know that now that you’re my follower, you’re going to suffer… a lot. Life will be hard for you. But hang in there, it’s worth it. It’s “for my name.”

And of course, this was true. Over his lifetime Paul experienced beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, hunger, and all manner of suffering as he preached the gospel. Maybe God told him right up front so he wouldn’t be surprised or unprepared when it happened.   So, when he suffered unjustly or things went horribly wrong, he could remember… “Well, Jesus told me this would happen. It’s all part of the larger plan. I’m serving God and part of that includes a lot of pain and suffering. No surprise here. It has a purpose; it’s for His Name. I’ll just keep faithful and trusting through it all.”  I think there’d be an advantage in knowing in advance that suffering is part of God’s personal and specific plan for your life.

But in a larger sense, isn’t this already true for every believer? God’s already told us that hardship is part of the package:

John 16:33 (NIV): “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble.”

James 1:2-4 (NIV): “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds ….”

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV): “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV): “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This advance warning wasn’t just given to Paul.  It was given to everyone.

“Hey Steve, I just want you to know that as you follow me, there will be pain. Life will be unfair, people will be cruel, the world will be against you.  Many times, things won’t make sense.  But I want you to know, hang in there, it’s part of the plan. When you experience these things, there’s a much bigger picture. It’s for me, it’s ‘for my name.’ It brings me glory; it advances my kingdom. Remember that.”

When life becomes hard, MY first reaction is to ask “why”, “what” and “how” questions.  “Why did this happen?” “What went wrong?”  “How can I fix it?” Or even, “who’s fault is this?” And these aren’t necessarily wrong questions, but they miss the larger story. God is up to something bigger and it has to do with lifting up “His Name.” The very act of suffering well brings glory to God.

So, recently, I’ve been trying to ask a different set of questions.  When stupid, random, annoying, inconvenient, non-sensical, painful or even tragic things occur, I take a deep breath and remind myself… “OK, God told me in advance this kind of stuff would happen. How can this bring Him glory?  Is my reaction a good reflection of  my Father’s heart?  This isn’t about me.  Am I willing to allow this to grow me and advance God’s kingdom? How might this fall out “for His Name?”

I don’t love suffering.  And I can’t say I’ve gotten to the place where I “consider it pure joy” (James 1). But when life get crazy, it’s good to remember that God said it would be like this. He didn’t hide it from us and there’s a larger story.  So, in every hardship I can choose to respond in faith and rest in confidence that God will ultimately redeems it “for His Name.”

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)