Chad Lewis’ Blog

Two years ago I wrote “Suffering Song.” It simply chronicles my journey through the fire. The lyrics are posted below:

I begged for You to take me out of this fire
But You heated the furnace seven times more
The flames leapt and quenched all of my heart’s desire
Oh how I felt alone, I felt unknown

You gave me this cup of suffering
But I let it sit on, on this cold hard floor
If I were to take it up and drink it complete
I could not stand anymore, I could not stand anymore

When I prayed for life, You took mine away
My dreams shattered and like cold ashes blew in the wind
I prayed to comfort Your people so you planted this pain
The wound is deep in me, I didn’t want them to see
This wound is deep in me, but it’s what You want them to see

Because in the fiery furnace, You held my hand
And this cup of grief, You helped me drink it to the dregs
And this thorn in my soul is Your story to be told
Your grace is sufficient for any need,
Yes Your grace is sufficient for the greatest need

So rebuke our prayers for comfort Lord
For we should ask for so much more
To be broken and used up for this lost, dark world
Change our heart’s Lord, rob us of selfishness Lord

And if this cup you ask us to drink
Is filled to the brim with suffering
let it be, let it be for Your glory

As I type this morning, I remember recently wrestling with the line, “rebuke our prayers for comfort” because it seems vague enough to cause some misunderstanding. My intention in writing this line was not to say that asking God to comfort our troubled souls was wrong, but rather that we should be rebuked as we pray for earthly comforts.

The most loving thing God can do for His children is to often bless them with the gift of suffering. The question could be posed, “What is the greatest gift God could give us?” The answer - Himself. Another question: “What is the one thing we need on this earth more than anything else?” The answer - God, Himself.

If these are our answers, we must be willing to accept that God is so gracious, He will do what it takes for us to seek Him. If our lives were filled with earthly comforts, we would never (in and of ourselves) cry out and seek after Him.

The greatest gifts of my life have often been the trials of sadness and despondancy. It is during these times where I have wept before the Lord and sought to grab hold of His garment. It is during these times that I had nothing else and found that God was closer than I imagined. It is during these times that my Abba’s hand has restored my soul and given me courage to walk on. It is from this storehouse of sufferings that God allows me to connect to the troubled and weary soul.

So when you are walking through the furnace, remember that this may be the very gift of love that you are longing for. We do not have to love the suffering - it would not be natural to do so. However, we can rejoice in the affects of the suffering for it can drive us to our knees. In this place, we will be driven into a more loving and intimate walk with our Savior and Lord.

So whether you are walking through the loneliness of singleness, the black cloud of depression, the uncertainty of the future, or even through the valley of the shadow of death, fear not, for He is with you and He is working. Take time to meditate on the truths of Romans 8 and remember how much our Abba cares.

(to listen to “Suffering Song” you can go to www.chadlewis.net and click on listen)

Filed under: Suffering by Chad Lewis