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November 17 Daily Devotional

In Suffering

Frans Bakker

Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. —James 5:13

Bible Reading

James 5:13–18

Devotional

As long as sin is present, there will be suffering. Sin causes suffering. When we view sin as painful and sorrowful, we expose the root of all suffering. No better counsel can be given to those who are in suffering than what is found in God’s Word: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.”

Do not suppose that this command is obvious or easily done. To pray means to go to God with our sorrow and affliction, and it is usually the last thing we do. Before we finally lay our need before Him, we first seek relief from many other sources. The first thing that we should be doing we keep as our final resort.

Is any among you afflicted? Let him not complain. Let him not feel sorry for himself. Let him not curse his life. Let him not seek fault with other people. Let him not seek to divert his attention to sinful pleasure. Let him not look too low. Let him not challenge heaven. But—let him pray. Let him fall on his knees before God. Let him humble himself before God, so that his suffering is a means to find God. God sees all suffering, and in all our own suffering He wants us to turn to Him and lay it all in His hand.

Does it help to complain? Can self-pity bring you any further? Will your self-centeredness relieve you? Can diverting your attention ease you? Can someone else carry your burden? Will a clenched fist punch suffering away from you? Is it possible to fight against God’s will? We attempt to do all these things when we are suffering. But in none of these behaviors can we find any relief. Relief from suffering comes from God alone who laid this burden upon us. He did this not out of any desire to hurt us. The Lord does not smite because He enjoys the suffering of man. God always smites to draw us to Himself.

Therefore, “Let him pray.” It is only at the throne of grace that a guilty and foolish man is put in his proper place. That is also the best place, for that is where the Lord wants him to be. “Pour out your whole heart before Me,” the Lord says. The most miserable suffering is that which is kept quiet. The heaviest burden is the one you do not know how to carry. But the Lord says, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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