Pathway of peace Two sufferings

There are two kinds of suffering we experience in this life; there is necessary suffering, and unnecessary suffering.

John16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have Suffering (tribulation); - but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (the voice of darkness).”

Necessary Suffering:

This is life itself pushing you to your limits - the inescapable challenge of life situations in this world, that threaten our health, safety, and security, face us with loss and grief, rob us of satisfaction or simply irritate our senses and weary our soul, these unstable outward realities.

Jesus says that peace is to be found in the midst of this necessary suffering. He also says that joy can be found there – ‘be of good cheer’. This comes from the consciousness of His presence always with us in every situation. This is our peace, our oneness with him.

Jesus’ example of dealing with necessary suffering is seen in the powerful outcome of his faith in the temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan did not take Jesus into the wilderness – it was The Holy Spirit. Satan was simply waiting for him, as a roaring lion. Jesus resisted him, steadfast in his faith armed with the presence of his Father and His Word of truth. That is spiritual warfare against an attack of the enemy, which is not the situation itself, but the enemy’s attempt to blind us from the presence of God with us in that situation.

Unnecessary Suffering 

This is the consequence of our emotional reaction and resistance in our soul to our situation, losing sight of God’s presence with us in it. We add suffering to suffering. (2Timothy 1:7 – fear.)

Peter’s example of unnecessary suffering is seen in the shaking of his faith at the hands of Satan – 

Matthew 16:23 … “ Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” 

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “ Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.

Peter failed the first time around in each case, but his unnecessary suffering was used by God to awaken him to the inward working of God’s power and love towards him and his merciful embrace of him in his human frailty.

Satan gets us to focus on the outward situation, but God gets us to focus on the inward work of The Holy Spirit within us. Thus the necessary practice of presence prayer.

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we don’t lose heart. Even when our outward life changes for the worse, our inner life continually grows stronger. Our experience of suffering (light affliction) releases a flow of God’s presence and power in the midst of everything that happens around us as we discover the unseen inward realities, not fixed upon or threatened by the changeable nature of outward circumstances.