Make Room for God to Glorify Himself in Your Suffering

Suffering as a Christian is part of our walk—and Jesus told us it would be. In John 16:33, He says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." But what happens when the discouragement is overwhelming? When the disappointment runs deep, yet God's Word tells us that He will move on our behalf? In that same verse, Jesus gives His disciples a command: take heart. Why? Because He has overcome the world.

Today, we're going to study a few ways to make room for God to move in the midst of suffering and discouragement. Although suffering is part of the Christian walk, we must also be vigilant. We have a responsibility in how we respond to the storms that come our way. We don't get to choose every trial we face, but we do get to choose how we handle them.

I want to preface this study by saying this: I don't know your story, but I know God wants to use it. 

In Revelation 12:11, we're told that the enemy is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. So the question becomes: How do we get out of God's way and let Him glorify Himself through our stories?

John 12:27–29

• In this passage, Jesus predicts His death. Even while facing unimaginable suffering, His concern isn't escaping it—it's that the Father's name would be glorified through it. Jesus shows us that our greatest goal in suffering isn't simply relief; it's making room for God to receive glory.

Revelation 12:11

• Revelation is one of the most symbolic books in Scripture, so for the sake of time, here's the context. John wrote Revelation while exiled on the island of Patmos to encourage the seven churches in Asia Minor, who were experiencing persecution and suffering for following Christ.

In verse 11, we're going to focus on three key truths:

1. "Him" refers to Satan.

• The verse begins by saying that believers overcome him—Satan—by the blood of the Lamb. Before anything else, our victory is rooted in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We don't overcome by our own strength; we overcome because of Christ's finished work.

2. We overcome by the word of our testimony.

• Our testimony has no power apart from the blood of the Lamb. The value of our story isn't that we made it through hardship on our own—it's that Jesus met us there. When we share what God has done in our lives, we bear witness to His faithfulness. Our testimony encourages others to trust Him, strengthens the faith of those around us, and reminds us of His goodness. The enemy hates when we talk about what God has done because every testimony points back to the victory of Jesus.

3. They remained faithful, even in suffering.

• The verse ends by saying, "They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." This doesn't mean they wanted to suffer. It means they valued Christ more than comfort. Even in the middle of persecution, they chose faithfulness over fear. That's the heart posture God calls us to. Not a life free from suffering, but a life that remains faithful through it—trusting that He is writing a story that will ultimately bring Him glory.

Using the Way of Jesus: Three Ways to Make Room for God to Move in the Midst of Your Suffering

1. Desire the will of God before your own.

Jesus knew that every moment leading up to the cross was the will of the Father, and He remained steadfast in it.

In John 4:34, Jesus says,

"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

Every miracle, every encounter, every moment of persecution, and ultimately the cross itself, was part of the Father's plan.

So how was Jesus able to remain faithful?

Because He had intimacy with His Father.

It is hard to desire the will of God above your own without intimacy with Him. We cannot surrender to a God we do not know.

Posture yourself daily to feast on the food of the Lord—His Word. Die to yourself daily. Seek God's approval over your own desires, knowing that His will is always good, even when it's difficult.

Jesus also tells us in John 6:27,

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life..."

When our hearts are nourished by eternal things instead of temporary ones, we begin to desire God's will above our own.

2. Posture yourself in prayer—pour out your heart before God.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus continually withdrew to lonely places to pray. Even the Son of God made intimacy with the Father a priority.

Then we arrive at Gethsemane.

In Luke 22:41–42, Jesus kneels before the Father and prays,

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus wasn't pretending the suffering wasn't real. He brought His anguish honestly before the Father.

If we keep reading, we're told His anguish was so great that "his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

Even in His deepest sorrow, Jesus prayed.

Then, despite His own suffering and exhaustion, He returned to His disciples and told them,

"Get up and pray."

What a powerful reminder. If Jesus depended on prayer in His darkest hour, how much more do we need it in ours?

Prayer isn't where we pretend we're okay. It's where we surrender, pour out our hearts, and allow God to strengthen us.

3. Understand the power of your testimony.

It's hard to understand why certain things happen, especially when they're happening to you.

But don't forget this: you are heaven-bound, and your life has an eternal purpose. God wants others to know Him through what He has done in you.

Throughout Scripture, we see ordinary people sharing extraordinary stories of God's faithfulness.

• King David continually declared what God had done and never stopped remembering His faithfulness.

• The man delivered from demons in Mark 5:19–20 was told by Jesus to go home and tell others what the Lord had done for him, and people were amazed.

• The Samaritan woman in John 4 shared her story, and an entire town came to know Jesus because of her testimony.

• Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 that God comforts us in our affliction so that we can comfort others with the same comfort we have received.

Go back to Revelation 12:11.

Look at what happens when God's people use their stories.

The enemy is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

Your testimony isn't powerful because you're the hero.

It's powerful because it points to the One who is.

Every time you share what God has done, you're reminding yourself, encouraging someone else, and glorifying the One who brought you through.

My prayer is that we would understand just how deep the love of God is for us. That even in our suffering and disappointment, we would not forget that there is a God who desires to glorify Himself through our lives.

May we trust that He is making beauty from ashes, strengthening our faith in the process, and writing a story that points others back to Him.

May we make room for Him to move, remain faithful in every season, and never underestimate the power of what He is doing in and through our lives.

Love,

The Hem Community