Why Does God Allow Himself To Suffer?

On February 21, 2021January 22, 2023 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

When going through very difficult times, believers might ask other believers, “Why does God allow suffering?” This is a valid question. In response, believers might share:

“Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”
Hebrews 2:18 NLT

Believers might then say what we are going through is nothing like what Jesus or Job suffered–my goodness, Job lost his children, wealth, health, friends, and unity with his wife to name a few of his problems.

Both of these responses are Truth, but what about the suffering God endured?

Maybe a different question to ponder to arrive at the answer to our question is, “Why does God allow Himself to suffer?”

God planned to have His Son crushed, and it was called a “good plan”:

“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief [. . .] and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.”
from Isaiah 53:10 NLT

It sounds like an extremely painful plan full of suffering. How is suffering good? Jesus died so that “When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins” (Isaiah 53:11 NLT).

The suffering of Jesus resulted in believers being forgiven–Thank You, Jesus! Even with the knowledge God had of the outcome of His Son’s suffering, I am sure it was painful to tell Jesus, “No” three times when Jesus asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering:

“He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!’ Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, ‘My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.’ When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.”
Matthew 26:38-44 NLT

As if denying His Son’s request three times was not painful enough, the Father then watched His Son being tortured, beaten, and ultimately murdered. The Father had to turn away from the Son when the sins of the world were placed on Jesus:

“At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ which means ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'”
Matthew 27:46 NLT

Why does God allow Himself to suffer?

Love.

Jesus suffered and died to forgive our sins out of love so that we can live with Him in heaven. God crafted the good plan to crush Jesus out of love for us, His lost sheep, so we can be reunited with God. God denied the prayer requests of Jesus out of love for us. Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done” out of love for the Father.

God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and He loves us, so why does He allow suffering?

The short answer is, He loves us. When we suffer, we draw closer to Him. That is a goal of our time on Earth, to draw closer to God every day. Suffering and trials result in us doing that.

Why do we need suffering to draw closer to Him? Human nature, for “No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God” (Romans 3:11 NLT).

Can you recall a time when there was a desperate need in your life-–illness, job loss, death, etc.? The way you prayed during that time probably looks very different from the way you pray daily.

Drawing closer to God every day is what is best for us. God loves us and wants the best for us.

Father God,

We lift up all who are suffering. Abandonment. Sickness. Depression. Addiction. Unemployment. Abuse. Grief. And other burdens. May this be the day they draw closer to You. May this be the day they feel immersed in Your love. May this be the day they rise up from the burden and feel Your joy. Your peace. Your love.

In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.

Amen

For Addicts and Those Who Love Us

On August 23, 2020September 9, 2020 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

In my younger days, I recall knowing addicts of various kinds and thinking to myself, “Why don’t they just stop?”

There are all kinds of addictions – drugs, food, sexual, and so on. Regardless of the addiction, there are things to learn. This post is written from the perspective of an addict.

The intent of this post is to provide insight, encouragement, and Biblical perspectives to addicts and those who love us.

There are many opinions about how someone becomes addicted to something. People debate if it is genetic, learned, or an illness.

I do not believe that people specifically say, “Today, I am going to work toward becoming an addict.” It happens slowly. We do not always see as the addiction takes over parts of our lives, controls us, and removes people from our lives.

I am now a Christian, and I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I also believe there is an enemy. As 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (NLT).

I believe that the enemy has everything to do with addiction. To me, the enemy is the source of all evil, and addiction is evil.

As addicts, however, we cannot say, “Well, I am addicted because of the enemy, and there is nothing I can do.” That, in fact, is another lie from the enemy. John 10:10 says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (NLT).

We must fight the enemy – see your addiction as the enemy. God has given us incredible weapons to fight the enemy, please see Ephesians 6:10-17.

We are living in the middle of an incredible battle called spiritual warfare. The great news is that if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that battle is already won. That does not mean we stop fighting against the addiction, though. Trust me, I understand how hard it is . . . when you are just trying to survive minute by minute.

There will be times when our loved ones see us clean for a time period and think the battle is won. What they do not understand is that the battle rages daily, hourly, and sometimes we are even back to fighting minute by minute.

Loved ones of addicts, please never stop praying for the addict to overcome, no matter how long they have been clean. Every setback, every hurt, even common, everyday items remind us of the lure of our addiction.

This does not mean that we do not love you more than our addiction. Because we have good days and bad days, it means we need your help. We need your prayers, we need professional help sometimes, and we desperately need you to love us and listen.

When we say we miss the addiction or that we are really struggling, it does not necessarily mean we are going to jump right back into the addiction – but it might mean that.

Please listen to what we are saying, ask us what is going on, what happened, what made us think about the addiction, what is causing the struggle. There are times that we will encounter things that trigger us.

Please do not yell at us or belittle us when we confide in you that we are struggling. That does not help. Instead, it drives us deeper towards the addiction.

And please, for the love of God, do not offer to assist us to obtain the addictive thing again to ease our pain.

As an addict, every day is a battle. There are days when I cannot pray against the addition, so I need my loved ones to do so for me. So I ask, on behalf of all addicts, never stop praying for us. Never.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

If you or someone you know is battling an addiction – please seek help. Here are two resources:

Heavenly Father,

We lift up addicts of all kinds and those who love them. Please bring them to salvation or closer to You, and fill them with Your strength, Your peace, Your wisdom, and Your discernment. May You settle their souls and keep their thoughts safe from the enemy through the power of Your Word.

In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.

Amen

Finding Peace in Trials: Welcome to Wounded Butterflies

On June 20, 2020September 9, 2020 By JCIn Site Info, Wounded Butterflies Blog1 Comment

“‘For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,’ says the LORD, who has mercy on you.”
Isaiah 54:10 NLT

Wounded Butterflies is focused on how we can navigate the ups and downs of life with a focus on Jesus. Life is tough. Jesus promised us trials (Romans 5:3), but, most importantly, He promised us His peace (Philippians 4:7).

When people share their advice with me, I assess whether they have life experiences and know what they are talking about. I admit, I am impatient with people who have only read about experiences and feel that they are experts.

This site will cover a variety of topics, including how to survive, how to thrive, how to handle God’s resources, and a breadth of spiritual subjects. If you are like me, then, you may want to know what life experiences I have had and whether I am equipped to write about these matters.

I am not a trained writer, nor am I a theological expert. However, I have “street cred,” including being abandoned by my father, growing up dirt poor, being bullied as a child, being sexually assaulted as a teenager, marrying an abusive spouse, being fired, losing people tragically, battling addiction, being betrayed by my spouse, and, unfortunately, much more.

Jesus saved me later in life, and I mention my history not to say, “Look at me! I’ve survived this, that, and the other,” but, rather, as part of my realization that every painful thing I endured is for His glory, to share what He has done to sustain me in the hopes it helps someone else.

Currently, I am a mom of 3 (mostly grown) kids, and I have followed Jesus all over the world for the past 12 years. I am trained professionally in the financial arena, and I will be sharing practical money lessons on how to best steward God’s resources.

I have studied the Bible faithfully every day and have been blessed to teach it for over a decade on several continents. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for my sins and that life is infinitely better with Him than without Him, and I strive to share that fact with anyone who will listen.

Just like all of us, I am a work in progress. Thank God He does not leave us the way He found us (Philippians 1:6). I am living proof that He can use anyone, regardless of their past.

Father in Heaven,

All that we are and all that we have are Yours. We humbly dedicate this space to bringing You glory and pray that at least one person is drawn closer to You because of its existence.

Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come.

In Jesus’ precious name we pray.

Amen