Dr Paul Allen

You’ve probably been there. Unprecedented affliction enters your life. Along with it, all the new experiences. The anxiousness. The sleeplessness. The darkness, loneliness, anger, sorrow. Things compound. By God’s grace, you seem to make it through. The storm seems to end. There is that huge relief with the breaking sun. Tears of joy come in humble rejoicing at the storm’s passing.  The questions: “Ok, Lord, did I not meet my suffering quota for the year? Is there not some sort of trials-tap that can run dry?” The frustration: “This just cannot be happening, again.” The despair: “How in the world will I be able to keep going and be faithful to all the other stuff in my life with these constant storms?” These are all normal. Perhaps not all excusable, but normal nevertheless. And there are not pixie-dust solutions to these problems, of course. We’re talking about a crux par excellence of life, after all. Though not an exhaustive list, here are some possible expla...

“For our light affliction , which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” ( 2 Corinthians 4:17) THESE words supply us with a reason we should not faint under trials nor be overwhelmed by misfortunes. They teach us to look at the trials of time in the light of eternity. They affirm that the present buffetings of the Christian exercise a beneficent effect on the inner man. If these truths were firmly grasped by faith they would mitigate much of the bitterness of our sorrows. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” This verse sets forth a striking and glorious antithesis as it contrasts our future state with our present. Here a light affliction, there a mighty glory. In our affliction there is both levity and brevity. It is a light affliction and it is but for a moment but in our future glory there is solidity and eternity! To discover the preciousness of...

Everything God does in our lives is for our benefit, including suffering . Though they never seem pleasant at the time, hard times produce wonderful benefits in our lives. Affliction drives us to God’s word. Here are seven more benefits of suffering: Affliction drives us to God in prayer Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. James 5:13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. PS 107:6 When the sun’s shining and everything’s going our way, we don’t feel our need for God. But desperate times lead to desperate prayer. When we’re helpless to change our situation, we cry out to our Savior, who delivers us from our distress. Affliction humbles us So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 2 CO 12:7 Afflictions remind us of how fragile we are. It keeps us lowly. Reminds us that ...