| The Ministry of Comfort |
Chapter 5 |
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May we not believe that ofttimes the primary reason why good men are called to suffer is for the sake of witness they may give to the sincerity of their love for Christ and the reality of divine grace in them? The world sneers at religious profession. It refuses to believe that it is genuine. It defiantly asserts that what is called Christian principle is only interested selfishness, and that it would not stand severe testing. Then good men are called to endure loss, suffering or sorrow, not because there is any particular evil in themselves that needs to be eradicated, but because the Master needs their witness to answer the sneers of the world.
This suggests how important it is that all who claim to be Christ’s followers shall guard most carefully the manner of their witnessing when they are passing though any trial. They do not know how much depends upon the victoriousness of their faith and joy in the hour of pain. Suppose that Job had failed, that he had not retained his integrity in the time of his sore trial; how Satan would have triumphed! But may it not be that in some sickness or loss or sorrow of ours, a like importance attaches to our faithfulness and submission, to our victoriousness, and that our failure would bring grief to the heart of Christ and cause the adversary to reproach God’s name?
Then, whatever the unknown and inscrutable reason may be why we are called or permitted to suffer, there is always a duty of witnessing from which we cannot be exempted. Yet do many people think of this? We all understand that we are to confess Christ in our life before men, in our conduct, our words, our disposition, in our business, in our conflict with evil. But are we accustomed to think of a duty of confessing Christ in time of sorrow or trial? Too often those who in all other experiences are loyal to Christ seem to break down in trouble, their faith failing. There is nothing in the way they endure pain or loss to show that they have any support or help which those who are not Christians do not have. No light from heaven seems to break into their earthly darkness. No unseen hand appears to come to them in their struggle, to hold them up. The comforts of God do not have any meaning for them. The voices of hope have no cheer for them.
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