Hebrews 5:8-9 - "Son though he was, [Jesus] learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."
I remember a time I was driving, and the interstate looked dry as a bone. And yet, a spray of water was springing up from under every tire that rolled down the freeway. The weight and pressure of cars and tires was revealing that which otherwise was hidden.
And so it is with suffering, according to God in today's Bible verse. The weight and pressure of suffering on the soul reveals the depth of our trust in the Lord. And in fact, God's telling us even more. The weight and pressure of suffering in our life is a way that God intends to work in our soul a deeper trust in Him. Such was the case for the Son of God himself, Jesus Christ, and so it must be for us all. God says, "Son though he was, [Jesus] learned obedience from what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8).
Obedience is merely "supposed trust in action." Obedience is an outward sign of the trust we profess to have in our heart. If someone says they trust the Lord and they really do, then that trust will show itself in obedience when the weight of life comes at us and says, "Okay! Let's see if you trust like you say you do! Here's a situation where you can show us."
I feel so blessed. I have models of trust all around me. My wife and three children, aged 25, 23, and 19, have rarely, if ever, disrespected me in their lives. The very real physical and emotional suffering they've endured has, by God's grace, revealed a deep, abiding trust in the Lord. My wife, Amanda, blows me away with her calm and trust in the face of difficulty. My church friends, a young man named C a couple nights ago and women named J and V and C and K, all have displayed a deep abiding trust in the Lord when the weight of suffering and difficulty has pressed down on the freeway of their soul, spraying up praises to God and testimonies that God is their strength.
When life weighs down on you today, turn to the Lord and also make time for people. Ask God to be your strength, and ask others how they're doing and how they endure in the face of difficulty.
Jesus is our greatest example of trust and obedience in the Lord. But there's some pretty amazing examples in the people around us too because God has worked what he promises, namely, a deeper trust in him in the lives of all who will trust him when inevitable suffering and difficulty come along.
Pretty amazing!!! Don't you think?
Hebrews 5:8-9 - "Son though he was, [Jesus] learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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