If our God whom we serve exists, he is able to rescue us from the blazing furnace and from your hand, O king (Daniel 3:17).

I think the passage in the Bible that most vividly depicts suffering is Daniel 3.
In the text, Daniel's three friends are sentenced to death and thrown into a blazing furnace.
But a mysterious figure appeared beside them.
Onlookers were shocked to see four people in the fire pit instead of three.
The new character looked like the 'son of God'.
The death row inmates, who were expected to burn like straw, walked calmly through the fiery furnace.
Christians today, with a New Testament perspective, know that hundreds of years later, the Son of God carried the cross and walked into an incomparably greater furnace of fire.
This is a momentous event that takes the concept of the Lord 'walking with' us to a whole new level.
God also walked into the fiery suffering of humanity through Jesus Christ.
He is truly the God who walks with us.
He knows all our suffering and is with us with love.
When we were in the midst of the fiery furnace, the Lord Himself jumped into the middle of it.
Thanks to this, when we look back and see Him, we realize with all our hearts that we too will not be consumed like a charcoal fire, but will be molded into great and beautiful human beings.
“I will be with you.
“I will make you blessed through your tribulation, and I will make you holy through your deep sorrow.”
--- From “God is with us even in the midst of the flames of March 4th”

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13)

True love that changes lives is the love that sacrifices itself for the other person.
Do you know Harry Potter's mother, Lily Potter? In the first book of the Harry Potter series, the evil Voldemort tries to kill Harry but fails.
A villain under Voldemort's control tries to lay a hand on Harry, but is prevented from doing so by extreme pain.
Later, Harry goes to see his teacher, Dumbledore, and asks.
“Why didn’t he touch me?” Dumbledore replies.
“Your mother died to save you.
…a love as strong as your mother’s love leaves a mark.
It's not a scar, it's an invisible mark.
…when you are deeply loved…you become a shield of eternal protection.” Why are Dumbledore’s words so touching? Because, from the mundane to the dramatic, we have learned through our various experiences that sacrifice is the true proof of love.
But God is more full of love than any human being.
Because He is so loving, He made a sacrifice of atonement to solve the ultimate evil and sin.
Sin does not disappear by pretending not to know about it.
Simply saying “I forgive you” does not deal with or make the sin go away, nor does it heal the wounds caused by that sin.
There must be a price to pay.
That too comes at a high price.
How wonderful it would be if God simply turned a blind eye to evil. But someone has to pay the debt.
But God loves us so much that he willingly died to pay that debt for us.
--- From "Love's Shield" on March 23

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:15-16).

It wasn't until later in life that I truly understood what prayer was.
There was no other way but to pray.
In the fall of 1999, I was leading a Bible study group studying the Psalms.
At that time, it seemed like I was only superficially glancing at the biblical commands and promises regarding prayer.
Then, 9/11 happened and a dark atmosphere hung over New York.
The whole city fell into clinical depression as if it had made a pact to do so.
The shadow cast over our house was unusually dark.
My wife, Kathy, was struggling with Crohn's disease, and I was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
One day, when I was in a state of total chaos, my wife said that there was something she needed to do with me.
My wife said that we should pray together every night.
'Every night', I mean.
Cash even gave this example:
“Imagine being diagnosed with an incurable disease.
The doctor gave me some medicine and warned me that I had to take one pill every night before going to bed and that if I skipped it, I would die within a few hours.
So, can you forget to take your medicine? No, you can't.
It's a matter of life and death, so there's no way I'll forget it.
There will be no case where you don't take medicine.
If my husband and I don't cling to God together, we won't be able to handle the task at hand.
So we have to pray.
“It is impossible to forget to pray.”
--- From "Clinging to God on July 16th"

Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to bear witness to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was faithful as a Son over God's house… (Hebrews 3:5-6)

All the major characters in the Bible foreshadow Christ, the ultimate leader.
Jesus, who passed the test in the garden and passed on his obedience to us, is the true Adam, better than Adam (1 Corinthians 15).
Jesus, who responded to God's call to leave comfort and familiarity and jumped into the void of not knowing where he was going, toward the creation of God's new people, is the true Abraham, better than Abraham.
Jesus, who was not simply offered up on the mountain by the Father's hands but truly became a sacrificial offering for all of us, is the true Isaac, better than Isaac.
God said to Abraham:
“Now I know that you love me, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son, whom you love.” Now we can say to God:
“Now we know that God loves us, because he did not spare his own Son, his one and only Son, whom he loved.” Jesus, who wrestled with God and bore the punishment of justice that we deserved, leaving us only the wounds of grace that awaken and discipline us, is the true Jacob, better than Jacob.
Jesus, who forgave those who betrayed and sold him and used new strength to save them, is a true Joseph, better than Joseph.
Jesus, who stood between the people and God, bridged the gap, and mediated the new covenant, is the true Moses, better than Moses (Hebrews 3).
Jesus, who was struck by the rod of God's justice and gives us water in the desert, is the true rock, better than the rock of Moses.

--- From "August 20th: A True and Better Leader"