From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

A dear lady wrote about her invalid mother who was suffering on a hospital bed in the last stages of cancer. She did not ask that God would relieve her of suffering, but only that the daughter would pray with her that God’s grace would be sufficient through the trial of suffering that they both had to endure. The Christian mother hummed tunes to the great hymns she had grown up singing.

The Bible teaches that human suffering is inescapable. We must accept it as an integral part of life. Job said, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1, NKJV). Our life has its beginning in suffering. Life’s span is marked by pain and tragedy, and our lives end with the enemy called death. The person who expects to escape the pangs of suffering and disappointment simply has no knowledge of the Bible, of history, or of life.

The master craftsman knows that years of work, sacrifice, and suffering as an apprentice precede being promoted to the master of his or her trade. The student knows that years of study, self-denial, and commitment precede the triumphant day of graduation with honors.

The Bible teaches that suffering is a part of life in a sinful world. Paul said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18, NKJV). As this dear woman remembered on her sick bed, “Look toward heaven, look beyond the clouds, and we will see that the sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that God has prepared for us above.”

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

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