Longsuffering

Most of us know the verses that talk about the fruits of the Spirit: 

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control”. (Galatians 5:22-23)

One day, the Lord reminded me of the way an older translation of the Bible states this verse:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

There was a word there that jumped off the page.  Instead of “patience”, the word translated was “longsuffering”.

Yuck.

We live in a world averse to suffering.  We try to avoid it at all costs.  We medicate in a variety of ways when it happens to come our way.  We do everything in our power to insulate ourselves from suffering. 

But suffering is part of this life.  Though we MUST choose to maintain hope in God, belief in His Word and faith that He does have good plans for us, it is sometimes hard to do in light of the pain that we face.  And sometimes the suffering that we face is for a long time.

Longsuffering.  I did a little study on what that word means as a fruit of the Spirit.

Longsuffering literally means “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, slowness in avenging wrongs”. (Thayer)

“Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God; patience is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope.” (Vine’s Complete Expository)

I don’t know about you, but when I am suffering, when I am in emotional pain, when my circumstances scream that I am a failure, when I cannot see the light of day, I don’t WANT to be longsuffering!  I don’t want to be patient, to be steadfast, to choose not to avenge wrong, to have hope!

But the Lord reminded me that longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit.  It is not a fruit of Jen.  It is something that He works in me as I come to Him and bring all of my pain and confusion.  It is not something I can muster up on my own.  Longsuffering comes as a product of God’s work in my life.

See, the Bible has a very different view of suffering.  While we try to avoid it like the plague, the Bible teaches us that suffering is something that causes us to identify with Jesus. 

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.  . . . So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”  (1 Pet 4:12-13, 19)

Does it surprise you to know that the Bible says we will suffer?  It’s not what most people are talking about these days – but I think it’s the part that gives the most hope! 

*If we are only victims of our suffering, then we become consumed by our circumstances and pain.  If that is all we see, then our suffering can bring death.

*But if we come to the Father and bring our suffering to Him, He can use that suffering to draw us to Himself.  Remind us that He is truly all we need.  He will make us more like Jesus!  Shape character in us. Remind us that He does not fail and that what we see with our physical eyes is not the end of the story!

One verse that defines what can come through suffering seasons is one of the most profound verses I have ever read:

“While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:7-8).

If anyone understands what it’s like to suffer on this earth, it’s Jesus.  But did you catch the purpose of suffering for the Son of God as He walked the earth?  Obedience. 

These verses show us how Jesus cried out to His Father, bringing His tears.  And in that process, God used suffering to teach Jesus to obey.

Could it be that He could teach that to us, too?

When we are suffering, could we stop acting out because of fear and torment of pain?

Could we, like Jesus, bring our cries to the Father, who cares and listens?

Will we be willing to be taught obedience through what we suffer?

Can we allow the Holy Spirit to make us longsuffering – patient no matter how long it takes?

If we could truly catch a glimpse of all that God is, we would know that what God can do in us and through us through suffering is BETTER than the best, most pain-free day we can imagine here on earth.

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his sufferings.  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Roman 8:17-18)

I love the last line of that verse – “what we suffer now is NOTHING compared to the glory He will reveal in us later.”  Take hope if you are in a long season of suffering.  God can work longsuffering in us – and that will make all the difference.