Suffering And Glory

Suffering And Glory

In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. –1 Peter 5:10

Amy Carmichael wrote about the unmistakable connection between suffering and glory this way: “Hast thou no scar? No hidden scar on foot, or side or hand? As the master shall the servant be, and pierced are the feet that follow me; but thine are whole. Can he have followed far who has no wound? No scar?” Obviously she is suggesting that those who follow Jesus should be able to say with Paul, “I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). We believe God has destined us for glory, but do we really have to suffer to experience it? Can’t we enjoy the glory without enduring the suffering, and leave the wounds and scars to the super-saints?

Oh, how I wish I could assure you that you are the exception—that you will not have to hurt anymore on this earthly journey. But Paul wrote that “if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17). To begin to grasp what this will mean for us, we must see that “suffering of Jesus” is an alternative term for the “glory of Jesus.” Again and again in Scripture, Jesus’ death by crucifixion is referred to as his glorification. For example, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory” (John 12:23). He wasn’t yet ascending to heaven; he was heading to the Cross. Unimaginable glory was put on display through the appalling suffering of the Cross. His greatest humiliation was also his ultimate exaltation. Suffering is glory in God’s economy. They are not at opposite ends of the spectrum, but mysteriously intertwined.

“Wait a minute,” we want to say. “This is not the kind of glory I had in mind!” But we must learn to see our suffering as glory.

I don’t know what scars or wounds following Jesus will leave on your body, on your emotions, or on your soul. But the glory to come will be worth the wounds. Your scars will be cause for celebration. We’ll be glad we followed the way of the Cross. One day we’ll experience in reality what we now embrace by faith—that suffering is the pathway to glory.

My glorified Savior, I step out in faith and obedience to follow you. Give me eyes of faith to see beyond the struggle and focus on the glory.

DIGGING DEEPER