I hope you realize just how astounding what you said is. Some claim that anyone who has "affliction" in their life has let Satan in the back door through their own doubts, fears and unbelief. They also, wrongly, state that ANY affliction in a Christian's life is a signal that something is wrong or off kilter and it is that Christian's job to figure out where they have opened themselves up to that attack and work to close it off so that God can be free to bless them with every good thing. The truth, however, is much more realistic as well as being what the Word of God actually states.
What greater glory is there to God than a life that loves Him freely, that serves Him joyfully, that obeys Him unquestionably and that trusts Him without doubt? Just as you said, someone who never knows suffering never experiences God's comfort. There was a song I used to sing when I sang solos at church and it was called, "Little Flowers". It speaks about flowers never worrying about rain or wind or storms because they "know" without the rain they would never grow. Like those flowers, we also need the storms because without them we would never grow, our faith would not ever get stronger. So, we should welcome whatever God brings into our lives when we are fully surrendered to Him because we can know for sure that He only allows what he knows we can both bear and grow stronger through. The twenty-third Psalm gets quoted a lot, but I wonder if some skip past the line that says, "Tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me." God doesn't remove the valley but walks through it with us.
What greater defeat will the devil have to face than one who, through the valley of the shadow of death, STILL trusts in the Savior? And you are so right, people who expect a bed of roses as their "birthright" never come to know that God and Savior.
And again, it gets back to who's getting all the attention. Is the focus on me trying to figure out if I have enough faith, the right kind, sin in my life, generational curses, strongholds?
Is it my circumstances? What I'm eating? Maybe organic? Pro-biotics? Maybe I'm toxic and need to detox? Maybe it's pesticides or jet trails.
Or worse yet, focusing on Satan, is he attacking? How? Does he have a stronghold? Am I being oppressed or possessed?
People frantically focusing on finding the *problem* of why they're not being healed so THEY can fix it and get the healing.
And the whole time, guess Who is NOT getting the attention?
The twenty-third Psalm gets quoted a lot, but I wonder if some skip past the line that says, "Tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me." God doesn't remove the valley but walks through it with us.
What I find interesting about that Psalm is that right before the valley of the shadow of death, the verse before says, *He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Though He lead me through the valley of the shadow of death...* almost like the paths of righteousness that He's leading us in TO US *seem* like the valley of the shadow of death to us.
What greater defeat will the devil have to face than one who, through the valley of the shadow of death, STILL trusts in the Savior? And you are so right, people who expect a bed of roses as their "birthright" never come to know that God and Savior.
A pastor I heard preach once talked about divine healing and this concept of having enough faith. The illustration he used was two women who go up for prayer for healing from cancer. The first woman gets healed. The second woman doesn't.
So who has the greater faith? The first woman who got healed? Or the second woman who didn't get healed and yet is still faithfully loving, serving, and following Jesus even though she didn't get what she wanted and maybe even dies from the cancer?
People can figure that being sick is allowing satan the victory, BUT even if that were the case, he's only won a battle, not the war.
I have learned to recognize his lies and reject them and that has only come through experience.
God is in it and God is good. God's goodness is because of who He is, not a matter of my opinion of how He is working or how I think He should be working in my life.
Galatians 4 You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News of Christ. 14But even though my sickness was revolting to you, you did not reject me and turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15Where is that joyful spirit we felt together then? In those days, I know you would gladly have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.
Then we see where Paul tells Timothy to take some wine for his stomach. IOW the Apostles and ones working with them seem to suffer the same day too day afflictions as anyone else. I believe Paul was partially blind myself. Paul was an educated man more so than many others of the day likely were. There is a passage in one of his letters where he seems to have difficulty writing. Not the fact he doesn't know how but that it was difficult to do so.
Galatians 6 11Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.
I believe that was the Thorn in the flesh he asked to be healed of three times and kept him humbled as he put it. Some may not understand I suppose that it kept him focused on GOD will make your weakness His strength too His glory and purpose.
Back to Joni. Joni's afflictions have given her a great insight to help reach millions who suffer spinal injuries and disorders. When my wife went into rehab the activities director gave her a copy of Joni's book. He knows Joni as when she is in our city he is her driver while she is here. I do not think her ministry would have happened nor had the impact is does if she still had the ministry without suffering the affliction she has.
Some may say it is so cruel of GOD then to allow her to remain in a wheelchair for all her life? They look through secular not spiritual reasoning. Our lives on this earth are short they are a preparation of good things too follow too those who believe and receive salvation.
We have the obvious freewill to choose or reject. GOD and The Holy Spirit use many persons too The Glory Of GOD so many may be saved.
I have been around persons confined to wheelchairs most of my life. I was in a rehab school for two years for eye/muscle coordination problems. That was my first exposure. the second one hit closer to home when my cousin had two kids born with disorders that would leave both kids in wheelchairs all their lives. WHY? For the answer we must look at not how we see things but att how GOD does. The two kids melted the heart of their war hardened grandfather. Nothing else would reach the man but those two kids. It took time but through them, through watching their determination and their attitude he came too the point where before he had major surgery a retired Chaplain had him bawling like a baby surrendering his soul to Christ. That is the big picture and not our sufferings. Yes the two even as grown adults have never walked but they have touched untold lives.
Next of course came my wife's afflictions. This came at the time her life was fixing to change for the better in many ways. She was an abandoned and abused most of her life woman raising two kids alone. Two persons had abused her one was her dad the other her husband who had left her.
She had learned too trust me and we had began making plans for our future together. Her life looked like things were really starting to get a lot better. Then in one afternoon her life as she knew it was gone. A deep uncertainty set in. What she had been praying for was not happening. She was praying for someone who would accept her for who she was and love her for the same. She had found it them Wham.
GOD's plan was in action. She did indeed find the person she sought. Her quadriplegia I was able to accept. I had learned in my days at the school too look beyond the disability and look at the person. The rest is history :>}
My wife has often asked me so what is her purpose in life? She doesn't realize the lives she touches. She loves the LORD with all her heart. She is helping other afflicted with various issues including depression like hers learn to cope and be at peace with their problems. Her witnessing began in rehab. My wife when this hit her was a Nurses Aid. Her work was her love. She loved the elderly and afflicted and doing for them. She even as a patient in rehab used her skills to talk stroke patients into eating and even showed them how to as she put it cheat to do so. GOD has His reasons and His will. Our submission to it allows many blessings for all.