Five Lessons Of Affliction
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with words from my friend John Piper.
As you may know, Dr. Piper is a survivor of prostate cancer, and he underwent some pretty aggressive therapy to push back that dreaded disease. But John kept his perspective, using Psalm 119 as his guide. For it says there, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your Word.” That’s a great Bible verse for anyone facing any kind of affliction, whether cancer, a bad case of the flu, a botched surgery, or something as daily and draining as chronic fatigue syndrome. So, draw some encouragement today from Dr. Piper’s reflections on Psalm 119, because he poses the question for us all: “[Just] how does affliction help us learn and obey the Word of God? There are innumerable answers, as there are innumerable experiences of this great mercy. But here are five:” John Piper says, number one:
“Affliction takes away the glibness of life and [it] makes us more serious, so that our mindset is more in tune with the seriousness of God’s Word. And mark this: There is not a single glib page in the book of God.”
Next, “Affliction knocks worldly props out from under us and [it] forces us to rely more on God, which brings us more in tune with the aim of the Word. For the aim of [God’s] Word is that we hope in God and trust [in] Him. [Like it says in John chapter 20,] ‘These [things] are written so that you [might] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.’”
Third, John says, “Affliction makes us search the Scriptures with greater desperation for help, rather than treating [the Scriptures] as marginal to life.” Because God says in Jeremiah chapter 29: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Next, Dr. Piper gives another reason why it’s good that we are afflicted. He says that, “Affliction brings us into the partnership of Christ’s sufferings, so that we fellowship more closely with [Jesus] and see the world more readily through his eyes.” I love that! Affliction has a way of killing, as he says, “…deceitful and distracting fleshly desires, and [it] so brings us into a more spiritual frame and makes us receptive to the spiritual Word of God…Suffering has a great sin-killing effect. And the more pure we are, the more clearly we see God,” like it says in Matthew chapter 5.
Man, I love these insights, and I have applied each one in my own battle against cancer, as well as my struggle with chronic pain. And in summary, it sure is good that we are afflicted – it might not feel nice – but it’s good, because suffering takes away the glibness of life; we see things more seriously. It knocks out all the props we tend to lean on…all so that we might learn to lean harder on God. And it makes us search the Scriptures for help rather than having a ho-hum attitude toward the Bible. But best of all, affliction brings us into a closer fellowship with Jesus Christ; it helps us see the world through His eyes; it helps us hate sin and love the things that God loves.
There is so much more to say on this, and Dr. John Piper offers more insights in his excellent little booklet called “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” It’s a great encouragement not only for people you know who are undergoing cancer treatment; the insights are uplifting for anyone dealing with pain or affliction. So, please be blessed, as it blessed me. Just go to our website at joniradio.org and get your own copy called, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” God bless you today and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends!
© Joni and Friends
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Don’t Waste Your Cancer
How are we as Christians called to respond when cancer invades our lives, whether our own bodies or those of our friends and family? On the eve of his own cancer surgery, John Piper writes with compassion and strength about cancer as an opportunity to glorify God and make much of Jesus. “Don’t Waste Your Cancer” is a hope-giving resource for anyone touched by cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.