The Blessings of Suffering | Bishop R. H. Jones

Devotional

Day 1: Gold Through the Furnace

Job sat in ashes, scraping his sores. His children dead, wealth gone, wife urging him to curse God. Yet he declared: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.” Satan expected bitterness. Instead, Job’s steadfastness silenced the accuser. Through loss, Job proved God’s worth surpasses earthly comforts. [09:16]

Suffering tests what we value most. Job’s story shows our trials aren’t punishments but proving grounds. When Satan demands to sift you, your endurance becomes God’s rebuttal. Jesus faced similar testing in the wilderness—His faithfulness disarmed the devil’s lies.

Where is your “Why?” louder than your “Blessed be His name”? Identify one area where resentment simmers. Will you choose trust over complaint today?

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”
(Job 23:10, NKJV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal His purpose in your current trial.
Challenge: Write down three blessings still present in your hardship.

Day 2: Equal Share in the Spoils

David’s 400 warriors refused to split plunder with 200 who guarded supplies. “Shall they who stayed by the luggage share like those who fought?” David rebuked them, decreeing equal portions for all. The weak and strong alike mattered in God’s economy. [06:11]

God sees hidden service. The bedridden prayer warrior shares equally in victories with the street evangelist. Jesus honored the widow’s mites as much as the rich man’s surplus. Your unseen faithfulness fuels visible kingdom work.

Who have you undervalued because their struggle isn’t yours? Call someone serving quietly and affirm their worth.

“But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.”
(2 Samuel 30:24, NKJV)

Prayer: Thank God for those who’ve supported you behind the scenes.
Challenge: Buy groceries for someone unable to leave their home.

Day 3: Death for Glory’s Sake

Lazarus’ sisters begged Jesus to heal their brother. Yet He delayed, letting death win—temporarily. “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.” The stench of the tomb became the fragrance of resurrection. [12:24]

God permits endings to birth greater beginnings. Jesus’ own crucifixion seemed like Satan’s triumph but became salvation’s pivot. Your dead ends are God’s raw material for miracles.

What “Lazarus moment” have you deemed hopeless? Read John 11:40 aloud: “Did I not say you’d see God’s glory?”

“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
(John 11:4, NKJV)

Prayer: Confess one situation where you need resurrection faith.
Challenge: Light a candle as a physical reminder of God’s light in darkness.

Day 4: Comfort’s Overflowing Cup

Paul calls God “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” Every trial you endure becomes a well to draw from when others thirst. The same grace that steadied you in crisis can now pour into another’s ache. [00:48]

Jesus modeled this after His resurrection. He showed Thomas His scars—not to shame but to solidarity. Your healed wounds qualify you to bind up the broken.

Who needs your scars today? Text a friend who’s grieving: “I’ve been there. Let’s talk.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV)

Prayer: Intercede for someone facing a trial you’ve overcome.
Challenge: Donate a comfort item (blanket, journal, tea) to a shelter.

Day 5: Sculpted into His Image

God’s endgame isn’t your ease but your Christlikeness. Chiseling hurts, but the Master Artist removes what obscures His image in you. Paul says we’re “predestined to be conformed” to Jesus—suffering included. [20:02]

Jesus learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). His scars didn’t diminish His glory—they authenticated it. Your trials are apprenticeship moments in eternal craftsmanship.

What rough edge is God filing down? Sit quietly for five minutes, repeating: “Shape me, Lord.”

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
(Romans 8:29, NKJV)

Prayer: Surrender one area where you’ve resisted God’s shaping.
Challenge: Memorize Romans 8:29 and recite it during difficult moments.

Sermon Summary

Paul names God the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts his people in all their tribulation so that his comforters become comforters. Job says, He knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. The blessings of suffering sit right there. God has all power and can use hardship to move his people into his will like he wants it done. Folks who have had little sunshine often carry the deepest cheer, because thanksgiving grows in tight places. One suit with a fresh shirt and tie can look new every Sunday. Gratitude can bloom even in hand-me-downs, because the Lord keeps a person.

David’s word sets a principle. Those who stayed with the stuff share alike with those who rushed into battle. The overlooked are not overlooked by God. Patient sufferers have a crown laid up. Suffering will silence Satan. Job lost wealth, children, and health, yet said, The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Accusation fell flat. Praise put the enemy quiet. Right is right and wrong is wrong. God will use tried saints as a Satan silencer.

Suffering also enables God’s glory. Jesus called Lazarus’s sickness not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son might be glorified. A crown is coming, but the path to it runs through patience. Blessings often fall in the lap after a season of waiting. Suffering makes believers more like Jesus. God’s purpose is not only to keep a soul out of hell but to conform that soul to the image of his Son. So the Lord sends testing and trials and then puts opportunities in front of his people to act like Christ. Pay it forward. Do not cut off blessing by withholding. Obedience opens doors.

The church is a hospital for the beat up and worn down. The valley of the shadow gives way to marvelous light. Israel learned the hard way that strength is not in Egypt. Job did not say, I know his way. He said, He knows mine. Faith leaps the barrier and says, when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Marriage, children, long crawls that become steady walks, all of it turns into testimony when faith is exercised. And over it all stands Jesus, acquainted with grief, pierced hands and feet, crying My God, my God, and then rising with all power. He knows. He comforts. The blessing of suffering is right before the believer who looks to him.

Key Takeaways

1. Suffering becomes God’s comfort school God turns tribulation into training for tenderness. Comfort received from him is not a cul-de-sac but a channel to others who hurt. The hardest seasons become the very toolkit for real ministry, not pretend sympathy. Pain tutors the heart to carry mercy well. [00:48]
2. Trials shut the devil’s mouth Accusation loses oxygen when faith blesses God in loss. Job’s worship after devastation exposes the lie that devotion is only about perks. Praise in the dark is a rebuke that words alone cannot deliver. The enemy gets quiet when a saint keeps trusting. [52:26]
3. Pain ripens praise into glory Lazarus’s sickness was staged for the glory of God, and patience wore a crown on the other side. Adoration grows deeper after lack and delay, because the giver, not the gift, stands center stage. Glory lands where self-sufficiency dies. [54:54]
4. Affliction conforms saints to Christ God’s aim is not mere escape from hell but real likeness to Jesus. Fire shapes what ease cannot, pressing selfishness out and obedience in. Opportunities to give, forgive, and pay it forward are chisels in the Sculptor’s hand. [62:27]
5. Faith leans on God, not props Egypt looks strong until it crumbles under weight. The Lord remains the only steady strength when health, work, and plans wobble. Faith walks by what God knows about the path, not by what the traveler sees today. [73:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - God of all comfort
[01:30] - Theme stated: blessings of suffering
[03:37] - One suit and hidden fortune
[06:31] - David’s share-alike principle
[08:58] - Point 1: suffering silences Satan
[10:23] - Job blesses the Lord in loss
[12:10] - Point 2: suffering glorifies God
[13:44] - Crowns come through patience
[20:02] - Not just saved, but conformed
[23:22] - Church as hospital, valley to light
[26:09] - Dependence, faith, and discernment
[31:22] - Job’s gold and unseen reasons
[38:00] - Jesus knows every valley
[40:38] - From po to praise

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

Job 23:10 (ESV)
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold."

John 11:4 (ESV)
"But when Jesus heard it he said, 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'"

Observation Questions

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, what two titles are given to God, and how do they connect to His relationship with His people?
Job 23:10 says God "knows the way that I take." What does Job contrast this with in his statement about suffering?
In the sermon, how did Job’s response to losing everything silence Satan’s accusations? ([10:23])
What example from David’s leadership (2 Samuel 30:24) shows that God values both those in the battle and those who stay behind? ([06:31])

Interpretation Questions

Why might God allow suffering to train believers in tenderness and comfort, as described in 2 Corinthians 1:4? How does this challenge the idea that comfort is only for personal relief?
The sermon says, "Praise in the dark is a rebuke that words alone cannot deliver." How does Job’s worship after devastation expose the emptiness of Satan’s accusations? ([52:26])
Jesus delayed going to Lazarus to allow God’s glory to be revealed (John 11:4). Why might God’s timing in suffering often feel like a "season of waiting" rather than immediate relief?

Application Questions

When has a past trial equipped you to comfort someone else in a similar struggle? How can you intentionally use that experience this week?
The sermon says, "Thanksgiving grows in tight places." What is one small act of gratitude you can practice this week in a difficult area of your life? ([00:48])
How might withholding help from others (like the 400 soldiers refusing to share spoils) "cut off blessing"? What’s one practical way to "pay forward" an act of kindness you’ve received? ([19:21])
The sermon emphasizes that "faith walks by what God knows about the path, not by what the traveler sees today." Where do you need to stop relying on visible "props" (plans, health, stability) and trust God’s unseen purpose? ([01:13:29])
How can you turn a current struggle into an opportunity to reflect Christ’s character (e.g., forgiveness, generosity, patience) instead of merely praying for relief? ([01:02:27])

Sermon Clips

32s

“``Many times, we would like to know what the Lord is doing. We would like to pull back the veil and see the end from the beginning. But if we could, and if we could see, we would not need faith to believe and accept God's way. Job, in the midst of all his deep afflictions, he found comfort, Not in the fact that he knew the reason and the answer for all of God's dealing with him, but he took comfort in the truth that God knew what he was doing.”

39s

“Suffering. Suffering teaches us to depend upon God. I believe that the Lord brings upon us the suffering and pain to try us that we may learn to depend upon him and not upon our own strength. You see, a person never truly trusts the Lord until they go through some troubles or suffering. The greatest testament that is ever given is a testimony of one who has been through the valley of sorrow, pain, and suffering.”

42s

“Those who have not had the path where roses all their lives, but who have been confined because of circumstances to their homes and had to depend upon God to bring them out. But you can often find plenty of gripers, and they are those who enjoy many times good health. And the complainers are those who have the least to complain about. But the Bible tells us distinctively that there's a special reward and a special crown which the Lord has prepared and laid up for those who suffer patiently.”

30s

“Oh, my dear friends, sometimes God sends these trials and suffering upon us to make us more appreciative of the blessings which he has already bestowed upon us. Oh, I don't oh, I I I know it is awful hard to praise God when the darkness of trouble besets us than it when the sunshine are happening, it's all around us. But it is also true that many times we do not appreciate our blessings until they are gone.”

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