Why Do We Suffer?

That is what Mary DeMuth discussed in Chapter 3 of her novel “Beautiful Battle,” at least that is my take away from it. The title of the chapter is “The Right Story: God’s Sovereignty. The Wrong Story: Our Comfort.” The wording of this initially confused me, though I understand it well enough now. This is a chapter I want to dissect a little bit, for me to fully understand what DeMuth is explaining.

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The first thing I did after I finished reading the chapter is look up the word “sovereignty,” more specifically the root word “sovereign.” The word appears often in the chapter and also in correspondence to God.

As an adjective, as describing God, “sovereign” means: 

1. Having supreme rank, power or authority 
2. Supreme, preeminent, indisputable 
3. Greatest in degree, utmost, extreme 
4. Being above all others in character, importance and excellence 

     (Dictionary.com)

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After taking in the impressive definition of “sovereign,” I agree it is a good word to describe God. In fact, many of the words to define it are also used in reference to our Holy Creator. So in respect of the title of DeMuth’s chapter three, “The Right Story: God’s Sovereignty,” we are talking about God’s absolute power, authority and supreme rank above all else (including Satan).

On the first page of Chapter 3, DeMuth states, “Satan isn’t behind every annoyance. It’s simplistic to think that Satan is our only obstacle on this earth...(p37)” I both agree and disagree with this statement. In the context DeMuth is talking about the obstacles she faced when she and her family lived abroad. We all face similar obstacles on a daily basis. We are troubled by finances, sickness, work environments, attitudes of the people surrounding us, even a bad hair day. Did Satan wake up and cause your hair to not fall in place, no. But Satan does not have to be there controlling every action to cause us to question and be quick to anger.

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Satan is “of the world” and he roams the world. These are concepts I have covered so far in this devotional study. Satan is not behind every small this that goes wrong. However, Satan is the root of all evil and all cause to sin. So Satan would not have made my hair stand on end, but if I said “Satan get out of my head and under my feet in the name of Jesus,” it would still be effective to the situation. I am using the blood of Jesus within me to call on God’s authority to overcome the Devil. Satan was not the cause of my hair not cooperating, but he was the cause of me feeling vanity of it not looking right. Satan does not have to be present in any situation for us to be affected by his deceptiveness and his lies.

In my opinion this is what Spiritual Warfare is all about. We have talked about being covered with the blood of Jesus and we have talked about God’s Sovereignty, his authority over the Devil. Spiritual Warfare is being able to confidently and consistently use that power over the evil forces roaming the earth and meddling in our everyday lives. If we can stand up, in the name of Jesus, and rid our minds of these evil, sinful thoughts then we can live a life full of God’s love and grace.

Already, by digging deeper and exploring the idea of God’s Sovereignty, his authority over Satan and how that affects Spiritual Warfare, I understand this chapter a little better. It also is an easy lead in to DeMuth’s second aspect of the chapter “The Wrong Story: Our Comfort.”

When it comes to the subject of suffering, DeMuth, like many others calls on the book of Job. Job is a very hard book to read, but it is also full of many wonderful lessons when it comes to God’s love.

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The basic story of Job is that Satan comes to God to talk. “Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless--a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil” (Job 1:8). Satan replies that of course he fears God because his life is perfect. Job has a family, a house, he prospers in everything he does. Satan challenges that if Job lost all that he holds dear, he would turn his back on God. God allows Satan to take all of his possessions to find out the result. Even when Job loses everything he still praises God. Satan then asks God to take away his health. God agrees, but even then Job is still loyal to God. Throughout the story Job has several misled friends who encourage Job to repent of his sins and turn back to God so he may be healed. However, Job is faithful to the Lord, is honest and true. He had done nothing wrong and he knew it. Job takes his message straight to God. Through this hardship, Job formed an even closer relationship with God. Eventually, God proved his point and gave Job even more prosperity than he had before.

There are many take aways from Job’s story:

1. All Satan’s doings are filtered through God’s hands 
2. Put your trust in the Lord, not in people around you 
3. Go to the Lord first with all of your questions and desires 
4. Suffering is often not a response to anything we did wrong 
5. The Lord gives and he can take away 
6. Be content with what you have for it is all fleeting 

These are a few among many lessons, but the most important lesson to learn from Job, that DeMuth also points out is that through hardship we become closer to God. When we reach out to communicate with him daily, when we depend on him for our very survival, and when we go to him for our comfort and not the world, we step a little closer to him.

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This ties in to the chapter title that states our comfort is the wrong path. By following God and maintaining an active and close relationship to him we will not always be comfortable. The closer we are to God the more Satan wants to hurt us (like he did with Job) because it would hurt God greater to see us suffer. However, God allows suffering because that is how he comes to know us better and us him. God made the ultimate sacrifice when he sent his son, Jesus, to walk the earth and die for all of our sins. That decision had nothing to do with comfort, it had everything to do with love. God allowed the ultimate form of suffering so that he may know his people closer.

DeMuth states in concurrence with this concept, “trials and struggles and distresses simply help us to become more like Jesus. More selfless. More giving. More hope-filled. More forgiving. More abundant” (p38). This life isn’t about comfort. It is about learning, growing close to God while on the earth, helping others in any way that we can and going home to be with the Father once again.

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I want to go one step further. You do not need worldly comfort or possessions to know true joy. It is forming and maintaining this close relationship with God that you find that constant, underlying joy in your heart no matter what is going on around you. There are days when Satan is continuing to knock at your door, but if you have joy in your heart, if you are covered by the blood of Jesus and reaching out to God everyday then no matter what happens you are blessed. God is watching out for you, running closer to you and looks forward to the day when you can sit next to the throne of God and tell the stories of how you overcame all obstacles.

Why do we suffer?

Because God loves us and wants a close relationship with us. He wants to be the first one you go to when Satan bothers you, when you have a bad day or a good day, when there are others in trouble that you want to help and even when you are so happy you can’t hold it all inside. God wants to be there. Just like our earthly parents, he wants to be involved, he wants to help and guide you on your way, he wants to know how it all worked out. Sure, he is all-knowing, but it is important that he hears the news from us.

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We suffer because if we don’t know pain and loss then we can never really know prosperity and true joy. Our God is a good God. Spiritual Warfare is real. It is our choice to equip ourselves with the knowledge and the armor of God. With our close relationship to God, the blood of Jesus covering us and our hearts full of joy we can step onto the battlefield confident knowing our enemy, the Devil, is going down.


*Note: This is a series that I will link up with at "Joyful Mothering;" however, the group discussion will not begin until later this fall. For now, I feel compelled to continue studying and posting what I learn.

Devotional Study based on "Beautiful Battle" a novel by Mary DeMuth.

The Beautiful Battle Series:
Part One: Foundations
Introduction: "Warrior Women"
Chapter One: “Beautiful Battle”

Chapter One: "Woman at the Well"
Chapter Two: "Satan: The Enemy"
Chapter Three: "Why Do We Suffer?"

Happy Fourth of July!

For me the Fourth of July is the epitome of summer. It is a day (or two) where we get together with friends, swim, have cookouts and hopefully watch fireworks. That is how we are going to celebrate today.

Zoey and I at the Baseball game

Last night we also celebrated by enjoying America's favorite pastime. I mean how much more American can you get than Baseball? We had a great time at or local minor league baseball field of the Riverdogs. Zoey loves the baseball games and so do I. Honestly, I only partially watch the game, but I have a great time with friends. Zoey loves the mascot, a puppy, a watching him around the stadium the entire game. 

Cool Girl Zoey!

Last night, the even of July Fourth, was a special treat because we were able to watch fireworks! I wasn't sure how she would react because we never saw fireworks last year. But she loved it! She covered her ears (I can't blame her for that, fireworks used to scare me as a kid because of the loud booms), but she loved the colors lighting up the sky. Afterwards she told me, "Mommy, so pretty, up in the sky!"

Zoey's favorite picture of the fireworks.

I hope you have a wonderful day and a great time celebrating our country and each other. 

God Bless America!

My Not-So-Green Thumb

I love having a garden, however, I'm not actually that good at tending to it. It has nothing to do with effort of tending it, I just don't have the green thumb my dad has. Of course when I asked him about it during one of our many emergency garden conversations, he said he didn't really have a green thumb either, he just had a lot of experience at trial and error. I suppose he did, he grew up as a farmer. I took his reassurance and a deep breath and simply keep trying in my garden. 

Zoey loves helping me water all the plants everyday

This year we started planting our garden late. We thought it might be a blessing in disguised because it rained a lot this April, but after finally planting our crop in the first of May it rained some more and still flooded all of our smaller seedlings away. Even tough we also planted habanero peppers and lettuce, we currently only have tomatoes and jalapenos left. We also have some snow peas, but they are currently tangled in weeds to the point that I'm not sure what is weed and what is pea. (Even though I weed the garden regularly these seemed to come up over night to overtake my poor peas!)

Our Beautiful Basil

We also have a few buckets of herbs, separate from the garden, that are doing very well. We have basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, chamomile, and lavender currently growing strong. We also have a strawberry plant that is on it's third year of produce. We don't get many strawberries a year, but it's nice to go to the vine and pick one or two off every couple days all summer.

Yummy Tomatoes!

I love cooking with fresh vegetables and herbs; I look forward to it every summer. I also love playing in the dirt, which is why I don't mind working so hard on our garden. It is quite relaxing and peaceful working the soil God graced us with. 

Delicious Herbs

Last year we had a plenty of jalapenos and tomatoes that I had to invent recipes to use them all. I made a lot of pico de gallo last year. I hope to do the same this year. We are getting blossoms and tiny veggies now so it will not be long before our kitchen is flowing with our own produce again.

Triumphant Strawberries

Do you grow any vegetables or herbs? Do you have a better green thumb than I do? I would love for you to tell me all about it! 

Spiritual Warfare in Action

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This is my story of overcoming the Devil...

I've been working on a series on Spiritual Warfare called "Beautiful Battle" based on Mary DeMuth's novel by the same name. It has been a wonderful study so far as I'm sure you can tell if you have read any of the way to long responses I have to the book. This is what happened to me this week that makes Spiritual Warfare come alive in everyday life.

I am pregnant, which I am ridiculously excited about. However, after two miscarriages I am nervous for the baby growing inside me. I eagerly want to carry this baby to term and introduce him or her into our little family.

My first prenatal appointment was on Friday. The night before there were three small pink spots that scared me into panic. Bleeding was the first sign of my last two pregnancies. I flipped, terrified that I was going to have another miscarriage. My husband reassured me and he was right, we were going to see the doctor first thing in the morning. There was nothing I could do about it in any case and there was no reason to worry.

Of course, I worried.

Honestly I stayed up way too late worrying. I stayed up having conversations with God.

This idea of "conversations with God" makes some people turn heads. However, I have been conversing with God for years. No one knows yourself and what is important like God does. Most of the time I ask him questions and he answers me with an overwhelming feeling or sometimes even a sort of dialogue that remains in my head. This is a hard concept to explain, but the important part is, God helps me through many tough times I go through.

This time I didn't so much ask God anything. I begged. I begged until couldn't form words anymore that this baby was going to be alright. I felt God was sort of rolling his eyes at me (of course that is a very human action to describe God, but it is accurate enough.) I realized then that this had nothing to do with me needing to beg. This was a chance for me to take control of my own Spiritual Warfare.

In a moment my perspective changed. I no longer became a victim of the battle, I became a force to be reckoned with. I had the authority of God behind me, I was covered by the blood of Jesus and I was ready to fight. I told the devil to get under my feet in the name of Jesus. I declared that my body is fit and ready to carry this baby who will be healthy, intelligent and strong. I resigned to not let my fear control me that this baby is a child of God whether he or she is 6 weeks old in my womb or 100 years old and lived his or her entire life. I commanded Satan to stay away from this baby because she dwells within my who is covered by Jesus' blood, protected by God's own sacrifice. No one in this world or the next can harm this baby unless God himself decides he is taking baby home early. I finally found enough solace in that conformation to go to sleep.

The next morning, there was no more spotting. The OB confirmed my health and the baby's health even though he or she is still very early in gestation. So far, everything is going perfectly with the pregnancy. The doctor gave me some extra vitamins that should help me carry the baby, but I believe the real battle happened the night before, while I was struggling to go to sleep, having conversations with God and putting the Devil in his place (far away from me.)

Did Satan actually attack my baby in the Spiritual realm. I have no idea. It is a possibility, though also possibly not. That is not what is important. What is important is that it is Satan's tricks include doubt, deception, fear--all of which I was experiencing. I relied myself with God, put my trust in him and used his authority to drive away Satan and all of my fears with him. I stepped onto the Spiritual Battlefield and won, thanks to Jesus.

Since that night and my doctor's appointment I have had a beautiful peace over this baby and my entire pregnancy. I thank God for how wonderful he is. I am blessed and I know that God is in control and he loves me and my family very much. Our little bean is in good hands. I feel lighter, more happy, more confident and completely joyful again. This baby is a miracle in every way I can possibly imagine.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9



*Photo credit updated*

Song of Songs/Solomon (Bible in 90 Days)

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Song of Songs/Solomon is a love story. It professes the love of a man (King Solomon) and his bride. Through this story the sanctity of marriage is affirmed. Even beyond that is God’s overwhelming love for his people.

The idea of sex today is an extreme mutation of what it is in God’s mind. A relationship between two people is a holy anointing if they let God guide them. Song of Songs/Solomon describes the details of that love. 

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Now I’m going to stop telling you the Sunday School version and say what I really think…

I’m going to be honest, I don’t understand the details of Song of Songs/Solomon. I get the love story and I get the sexual allusions, but it is hard to understand it as a whole. I’m glad my bible has the context (i.e. “The Wedding Day,” “Memories of Engagement,” “A Troubling Dream”) so I know what’s going on. One day I should study it closer to really understand.

In the meantime, let’s go with the major themes: sex, love and commitment. 

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In today’s society, sex is persuasion, bargaining, causal and expected. This isn’t how God intended it to be. Sex is good. There is no point in denying it—sex is awesome. However, I waited for sex with the right person. To me, sex means pleasure, love, security and joy. I suppose that is what Song of Songs/Solomon is saying.

Love is a beautiful emotion. There are many different types of love: friendships, family, significant other, child, respectful, to name a few. I think the thing God wants us to remember about love is for it to be honest and pure. Too often emotions are toiled with to get what you want or lets go when things get tough. True love never gives up. If you feel lonely, remember, God loves you most of all, no matter what. 

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Marriage is a tough subject in this day and age. There is a high divorce rate in America now and I can imagine God doing a face palm. Marriage is a commitment, a promise you make to each other and to God and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Nowadays, it is too easy to give up on marriage. But more importantly, people aren’t getting married for the right reasons. Marriages based on money, sex, “because it’s the right thing,” are more than likely only going to last a short time. For marriage to last there has to be respect, trust, sacrifice and most importantly, communication. Marriage takes work, hard work and it’s not always about getting what you want when you want it. But it is worth it—so worth it. I love my marriage. I feel joy even on a bad day. I feel loved, honored, trusted and valued. I feel comfortable and secure in a way that transcends all material and petty things. That is marriage to me. And the sex is pretty amazing as well. 

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Wait for the person who you can be completely yourself with, who makes you smile, who takes time for you, who stands by you even when you make mistakes and forgives you. God intended marriage to be wonderful. I think that’s what Song of Songs/Solomon is about. Love is honest and playful. God’s love is forever.