"Unusual Afflictions"

CASE 8: "The afflictions I encounter are strange and unusual. I doubt if any child of God has ever been tested by such events as I am."

Answer: Much of what was mentioned in the previous case may be helpful in this one. Holy Job faced this temptation, Job 5:1, "To which of the saints will you turn?" But he rejected it and held onto his integrity. The apostle Peter suggests that Christians might be tempted to "think it strange concerning the fiery trial" (1 Peter 4:12). However, one would need more experience than even Solomon to say, "Look, this is new" (Ecclesiastes 1:10). Even if, regarding the external events, it seems like "it happens to you according to the work of the wicked", you can still be righteous; as Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes 8:14. Sometimes we travel along paths where we can't see any signs of others having been there before, but we can't conclude that we're the first to travel that way. Similarly, even if you can't see any evidence of others having faced the same afflictions as you, you shouldn't assume that you're the first to experience them. But even if that were the case, someone must be the first to endure each difficult experience that others have faced. What reason do you or I have to limit God's actions towards us? "Your way is in the sea, your path in the great waters, and your footprints are not known," Psalm 77:19. If the Lord chooses to lead you to heaven through a more secluded route, you have no reason to complain. Allow for divine sovereignty; focus on your duty and don't let any affliction obscure any evidence you might otherwise have for being in a state of grace, for "no one knows either love or hatred by all that is before them" (Ecclesiastes 9:1). Even if, regarding the external events, it seems like "it happens to you according to the work of the wicked", you can still be righteous; as Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes 8:14. Sometimes we travel along paths where we can't see any signs of others having been there before, but we can't conclude that we're the first to travel that way. Similarly, even if you can't see any evidence of others having faced the same afflictions as you, you shouldn't assume that you're the first to experience them. But even if that were the case, someone must be the first to endure each difficult experience that others have faced. What reason do you or I have to limit God's actions towards us? "Your way is in the sea, your path in the great waters, and your footprints are not known," Psalm 77:19. If the Lord chooses to lead you to heaven through a more secluded route, you have no reason to complain. Allow for divine sovereignty; focus on your duty and don't let any affliction obscure any evidence you might otherwise have for being in a state of grace, for "no one knows either love or hatred by all that is before them" (Ecclesiastes 9:1).

-Thomas Boston