Up all night, home all day.

I am taking a day off work today as I am Ill. I have been up all night coughing and spluttering and looking after the two boys.

This is somewhat interesting and I have to ask, what place does suffering from the fall have in the life of the Christian?

Disease, illness, death. All these things are symptoms of the fall, of the cursed Earth on which we live and of the cursed existence that we eek out.

But what of the believer? We are free from the curse, we are born again and, yet, we still suffer from the curse. It is interesting that Jesus' earthly ministry involved his relieving suffering whilst proclaiming the coming of the kingdom. As though the two were linked, that the coming of the kingdom would be signaled by relief from suffering.

Nowhere in the NT (please correct me if I am wrong!) do we see any prayer or wish that suffering or persecution should cease. What we see are prayers that the saints would endure the suffering and the persecution with joy and with Godly hope of what is to come.

I'd write more but I really need a cup of tea and some sleep.