I had the unpleasant experience the other week of going to the emergency room. Thankfully, it did not end up as an emergency.  However, it was during that trip that I couldn’t help but notice the other people around me who were suffering in obvious pain, some more than others. I thought back to the Feast of Tabernacles. This year we enjoyed, for the most part, health and well-being at the Feast. We recognize that the Feast pictures, among other things, a time when sickness and disease will be a thing of the past. It made me sad to see these sick people.

In the subsequent days that followed, I also began to see another lesson emerge. Thinking back on my time in the Emergency Room, I found it interesting how Christ had compassion for sick people (Matthew 14:14). We in God’s Church ought to have that same compassion for others.  In Matthew 9:12-13 we read that it is the sick that need healing. But Christ went on to say that compassion was more useful than sacrifices.

When we go through physical pain and suffering, it is an opportunity for us to do a few things. God sometimes uses physical pain and suffering as an opportunity to help us draw closer to Him. Think of the Apostle Paul whom God blinded for a few days (Acts 9:9). Think of King Hezekiah, who was told he was going to die (Isaiah 38:1-5).  What about the grievous trial Job went through, including the loss of family, possessions and health, leading to genuine repentance (Job 42:5-6).  Just using these three examples, out of many, one of the main outcomes was that of humility. They each learned in a different fashion what it means to come to have Godly humility.

This new-found humility allowed God to work with them in even more powerful ways. God gave compassion to these men once they turned fully to Him. God HAS called us NOW (Isaiah 55:6-9). No matter what God tells us and what may be at stake—when we turn to Him with humility, He can and will forgive us. He will have compassion for us, His children (Isaiah 44:22).

Our physical sufferings can be for our benefit and for the benefit of others, if we stop and carefully consider our ways, and if we take the opportunity to find compassion and empathy for others who go through similar suffering. Let us never forget that God loves the humble person, who is willing to lean on Him for all things, including our physical health and well-being.

In a world threatened by war, famine, disease and anger, let us take this opportunity to uplift and strengthen our resolve.

Here in the USA and in other countries around the world, we just had Father’s Day—a day when people take time to show respect and to honor the men in their lives who have either been a father or a father figure to them. A father is someone who leads his family in a loving and caring manner. This can include at times having to train his children (Proverbs 22:6), giving good gifts (Matthew 7:11), encouraging them and lifting them up instead of tearing them down (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). This of course is not just a father’s responsibility as it takes a woman of noble character to help raise a family (Proverbs 31:28).

This type of family relationship, while very physical and real, is also played out spiritually by God our Father. We are His children. Galatians 3:26 says: “For you are all sons [or children] of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” This passage and many other Scriptures show that God considers us to be His children. As a father loves his children, so God has the same feelings towards us. He cares for us at all times. Just as a father must correct his children, so at times God lets us go through trials to learn and to become more reliant on Him for our physical and spiritual sustenance (James 1:17). Even when we have to go through trials, God isn’t far away. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation [or affliction], that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble [or affliction], with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

In Matthew 18:2-3 Christ points out that it is our duty to become as little children, in action and thought: “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

As our Father is the God of the entire universe, there is nothing that passes by His attention. The Bible says He numbers and names the stars, counts the sand on earth and numbers the hairs on our head. He sustains the universe by His very Word and Will. And to top it off, He wants to share all of this with us. As we consider the wonders of God, it is important to remember these things and to dwell on them, so that we stay motivated and focused. With God as our Father and Him wanting us to become like Him, we have every opportunity to obtain our crown.