Question #4: What Blessings Will God Provide to Help Us Endure?

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"God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). God has promised to help us endure, but we must make use of the help He provides. Let us summarize a few of the ways God helps.

The Bible

Romans 15:4 - "...through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope." We have already learned several ways the scriptures comfort and strengthen us when we are suffering:
* They help us understand that we will have to suffer, but good can result from our suffering.
* They give us assurance that we can endure like others have.
* They give evidence of God's wisdom, power, and faithfulness to his promises. This strengthens our faith that God can and will help us endure.
But the Bible gives us none of this help unless we regularly study it.

Prayer and Worship

James 5:13 - "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray."
Philippians 4:6,7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."
Job 1:20 - When Job suffered, he went to God in worship. Far too often when we suffer, we do the opposite. We neglect to worship, because we don't feel like it.
(1 Peter 5:7; Matt. 7:7ff)
These passages do not promise that God will remove our problem, but they do promise He will provide the strength we need to be faithful despite the problem. Jesus and Paul both prayed about problems, and God answered their prayers, but the problem was not removed. Instead, God gave them strength to endure (Matt. 26:36-46; 2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Other Christians

2 Corinthians 1:3,4 - Not only can God comfort us, so can other Christians. And we should strive to comfort others.
Galatians 6:2 - "Bear one another's burdens." We should never allow another Christian to suffer alone through serious problems, if there is any way we can help.
One of the best places to get encouragement in time of trouble is the public worship assemblies (Hebrews 10:24,25). Again, however, we must come to the assemblies and talk to other Christians to gain the help we need. (See also 1 Cor. 12:26; 1 Thess. 5:11,14.)

Hope of Eternal Life

Romans 8:16-18 - We are heirs of God if we suffer with Jesus. The sufferings of this life are unworthy to even be compared with the future glory awaiting us.
James 1:12 - The man who endures is blessed, because the result will be a crown of life.
Matthew 5:10-12 - Rejoice and be glad (don't gripe and complain) when you are persecuted, because you are suffering as God's people always have. And great is your reward in heaven. (2 Cor. 4:16,17; 2 Tim. 1:11,12; 2:12; 1 Peter 1:3-7; 4:13)

Conclusion

Faithful Christians will suffer. Yet the Christian's life is still the best, because only faithful Christians have the assurance that we can endure, that God will help us, that the result will be for our good, and that in the end we will have eternal life.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13. (See also Psalm 23.)