He is despised and rejected of men—Isa. 53:3
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. John 1:11
These are amazing and sad words. We could speak for hours about the fact that “He came”, and for good cause, but let us not forget the reason for and the result of His coming. He came—
— out of love for man and was loathed by man.
— to help man, but was hurt by man.

— to redeem, but was rejected.
— to forgive, but was condemned.
— to save, but was made to suffer.
— with compassion, but was crucified.
— to set the captive free, but was nailed to the cross.
— to give life, but was put to death.
— to provide peace, but was brought to grief.
— to bring great joy, but was made to weep.

Why? How could this be? Because the natural man is–
— dead spiritually
— blind to the truth
— deceived by Satan
— enslaved to sin
— proud
— selfish
— stubborn
— stupid
What man did to Jesus is all the evidence we need that man needs Jesus. Calvary, the greatest expression of love ever shown, was the greatest act of injustice ever known. Only a Savior like Him could save sinners like us!–HDS

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly—- Luke 22:44
We all have to encounter suffering and endure sorrows—that’s life. But how do we survive? Where do we go for refuge and relief in these troublesome times? If we are wise we will take the path our dear Savior trod and follow His example. Surely He would never lead us astray. And if we don’t follow Him who shall we follow.

So with the weight of the burden on our back and the pain in our heart let’s go to Gethsemane. Approaching the garden quietly we see Him “in an agony”–which, considering His perfection, hardly seems fair. But we also find Him in prayer. So now we have discovered His refuge in time of need– and ours. Facing the suffering of the cross, He poured His heart out to the only One who could help– the Father, the God of all comfort—the One who had placed Him in that situation!

Although His flesh longed to be relieved of the suffering, His spirit was sustained by knowing the Father knew what was best, what was needed most. Thus He prayed, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” It was in this that our Savior found comfort. Although the suffering was not avoided, nor the pain abated, He received the strength needed to endure it, and even to do so with joy ( Heb. 12:2).

Now if our Lord and Savior was dependent upon prayer in His hour of suffering, do you suppose that we can do without it? Of course not– we would be a fool to try. We make a great mistake if we think there is a better plan of action or that no action is needed. We must pray as though everything depends on prayer–it does! The old song said it well, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to Him in prayer”.—HDS

If God never did anything but save us from hell we would have no reason to complain about anything.–HDS

Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.–Job 23:2

Spurgeon said, “Most men cry before they are hurt, or more than they are hurt; but such was not Job’s case: he had good reason for every groan, and when he groaned most he fell short of expressing what he felt within.”

 You could say that Job’s grief was greater than he could or would express to others. It’s true that Job expressed his grief, but we should not take this as anger toward God. Although Job complained to God, he did not complain about God.

 J. R. Miller said it well: “Job does not mean that he was rebellious—but that even with his submission to the divine will, he could hardly keep his pain from breaking out in cries. If we are God’s children, we should bear even the greatest sufferings without complaining. It may not always be possible to repress the outcries of anguish; but even if our affliction is too full of pain to be altogether repressed, we should not have in our heart, any rebellious feeling toward God.

An English writer tells of two birds, and how they acted when put into a cage. One bird flew violently against the wires of its prison, in unavailing efforts to escape, only bruising its own wings in the struggle. The other bird perched itself on the bar, and began to pour forth from its little throat, bursts of sweet song. We know well which bird was the wiser, which had learned the best way to meet hard conditions.

Some people are like the foolish bird—when they are in trouble they chafe, cry out, and complain. The result is, they only hurt themselves, make themselves more miserable, and do not in any sense lessen their trouble. It is wiser always, as well as more pleasing to God—for us to bear our trials patiently, singing songs of faith—rather than complaining in rebellion and discontent. Thus we take the bitterness out of trial, making it sweet.“

When speaking of our trials it is better to minimize them than to exaggerate. In other words, don’t make matters worse, even if they are worse, by trying to fully explain them. Others won’t understand anyway, and God already knows.–HDS