Since I do not belong to myself, but to the Lord, I must reconcile myself to the fact that whatever happens in my life, is pleasing to him. This can be difficult to understand, especially when “bad” things happen to me. I have wrestled with this concept for many years. The New Testament stories of the apostles reveal plenty of heartache and hardship. The Apostle Paul was horsewhipped no less than three times and lived to tell about it. The Apostle John was boiled alive—and yet, did not die.
Somehow, these things please God; how can that be? The answer lies in understanding the godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews speaks of righteous men and women be beaten, tortured, sawn in two. One translation explains why they went through such things; “They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.”
There are several places in the Bible where God the Father announces his pleasure in God the Son. One such announcement is found in the New Testament book of Colossians (written by the Apostle Paul). The Father is pleased to live in the life of God the Son. This huge, because it reveals the character of God—Jesus suffered greatly—who is pleased to live such a life. This announcement also reveals the presence of God—Jesus walked daily among the people. It also reveals the purpose of God—to redeem humanity.
All of these things were done to bring about an “eternal” purpose. This is why God is pleased with whatever happens in my life, as well as the lives of the many others mentioned in the Bible. It is not that God takes delight in hurting humanity, he does not. It is that God knows that the eternal purpose accomplished by the hurting is worth the temporary suffering.
In another place, the Apostle Paul states, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” In other words, God is viewing my life (and yours) through eternal eyes that like what they see.
Because I have chosen to surrender my life to God, I am positioning myself for an amazing future in eternity. To state it in a temporary phrase, I am preparing for my (eternal) retirement. This is the hope early men and women of God held onto that enabled them to endure the pain and suffering of their day. This is the hope that you and I are meant to hold onto through the pain and suffering of our day.
It is what I call, excitingly scary. As a triune being, my reborn spirit embraces this life with much excitement, while my soulish—mind, will, and emotions—part of me is often scared beyond measure.