How Suffering Can Reveal Who You Really Are

Read (from the New Living Translation)

¹In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God…

¹⁰ He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. ¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

¹⁴ So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 1:1, 10-14

Go Deep

When doctors told Phil Wickham – a singer, songwriter, and worship leader – that he may never be able to sing professionally again, he started questioning everything. But then God showed up… He shares about this experience in today’s video.

Phil says, “My identity is in [God]… I’m important to Him, not because I can sing or because I’m a worship leader – not the things I do.

I’m important to Him because of what He says I am and He calls me his child…

When I finally started to see God more as a Father than someone I was trying to please with my actions, I realized, “Whoa! He’s on my side. There’s nothing to fear…” Even though we don’t always want the trial… God works these bigger plans. He works His good even through the bad… That’s the kind of Father we can trust in.”

Notes from the Beyond Suffering Bible

Jesus, the Human – In John 1:1, John establishes that Jesus is God. This is remarkable. But now he takes it further: Jesus is also a man. The God of the universe became a human just like us. Like us, he hurt, suffered, and was tempted. In fact, Jesus was like us in all ways except one: He did not sin (Heb 4:15).

Don’t miss out! This is only one of a 25-Day series called Beyond Suffering: Where Struggles Feel Endless, God’s Hope is Infinite. Sign up to get stories like this sent to your inbox each day.

Rebecca (Rebie) Ikes

Rebecca (aka Rebie) is a writer, coffee lover, and producer based out of Nashville, TN. She enjoys playing Mario Kart with her husband, being inspired by great storytelling, and exploring creative music and web shows on YouTube and Spotify.

Every personality test tells her she’s a “peacemaker.” As a result, she’s interested in exploring how to better handle conflict and disagreements. She’s also passionate about starting meaningful conversations surrounding where we find our identity, purpose, and fulfillment.

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