| The Christian Life | May 1945 |
Leads to Joy
The Ministry of Sorrow
WE CANNOT say that sorrows and troubles are invariably necessary to the perfecting of holiness and happiness; for our Heavenly Father and the holy angels are perfect without sorrow and trouble. But we know from our own experiences and those of others that sorrows, disappointments and perplexities have served valuable purposes in the ripening of Christian character during this Gospel Age. The secret of obtaining blessings out of tribulation is the Christian’s secret of a happy life.
To enter the Lord’s family it was necessary that we make a full surrender of our will to God, because on no other terms would the Savior become our Advocate with the Father—our Surety—and thus enable us to be received as God’s sons by the begetting of the Holy Spirit. But this was only the beginning of our sonship with God. As newborn babes we first needed the milk of the Word, the simpler truths; and then the stronger meat, to nourish and develop us. We needed disciplining and training, in order to become qualified for the glorious position to which God has called the church. We must demonstrate our loyalty to righteousness, truth and virtue by resistance of sin, selfishness and other opposing influences. As new creatures we find ourselves surrounded by well-meaning earthly friends who consider our course extreme and attempt to dissuade us from our covenant of sacrifice.
Similarly the Apostle Peter, before Pentecost, endeavored to dissuade our Lord from His sacrifice, saying, “Far be it from Thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee!” But Jesus rebuked Peter, and continued His sacrifice faithfully unto death. So we must resist our well-meaning friends and prove ourselves loyal to our consecration.
We find great difficulty also in our own flesh, born in sin and “misshapen in iniquity.” The new creature must battle with the old. These battles sometimes bring glorious victory and sometimes inglorious defeat; but our sorrows, disappointments, heartaches and difficulties are wisely permitted by our Lord to assist in the death of the old creature—to prepare us for the glorious resurrection “change,” when we shall have new bodies fully in accord with our new and perfected will and mind.
In times of trial and burdens, the Lord draws His people near to Himself, because He alone can satisfy, comfort, forgive and bless. His gracious provision for His children is the mercy seat—the throne of grace. In faith, with hearts bowed down, we approach the Lord in His appointed way—in the name of Jesus—and thus we receive consolation and blessings, and bear a song away.