“Pray that you may never have to endure all that you can learn to bear.” Yes, though we must also believe that God “will not let us be tested beyond what we are able to bear, but with the test will also provide the way of escape (τὴν ἔκβασιν) so that we may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Indeed, in light of suffering what we really need is perseverance, or what the New Testament calls hupomone (ὑπομονή), a word that means “remaining [μένω] under [ὑπο]” the Divine Presence while being tested (the English word “suffer” comes from the Latin word sufferre, from sub- (under) + ferre, to carry, and therefore denotes “bearing under” difficulty). When we suffer, especially when we find no answer to our agony, we need to find the will to believe, the strength to stay constant, and the rise of hope that gives utterance to simple prayers that focus the heart upon the Lord’s Presence: “God have mercy…” “Help me, O God…” “I need Thee, O Lord…” When we receive grace to faithfully suffer, we hear the Spirit whispering back to us: “Be not afraid…” “Live in me…” “Walk in the light…” “I am with you always…” “You are loved…”
Life itself weans us from life as we learn that nothing ultimately belongs to us… We must learn to make peace with our sorrows and disappointments, to let go of them and to accept that this day, despite its frailty and trouble, is a precious gift from above. “My peace I give to you” (שלי שלום אני אתן לך), said Yeshua, “not as the world gives, I give to you” (John 14:27). Not as the world gives… When we let go, when we put everything in God’s hands, we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God.