Lately I have been reading and studying the topic of suffering and how one should view it in the light of Christianity. Personally, it is a hard subject to study and I still have many questions running through my mind but as I have looked into God's Word and received teaching from people I respect and trust this is what I have come to believe as true so far...
Many people can become confused in the midst of suffering and begin to doubt, question and grow angry at God. This type of attitude while suffering is the result of either bad teaching or no understanding of suffering as a Christian from a Biblical perspective. Some people seem to think that when becoming a Christian and having a relationship with Christ, all suffering should cease and that we should now be exempt from having to encounter any troubles in this world at all. This is not what the Bible teaches. God did not even spare his own Son from suffering. God does not promise us that we will not suffer in this life when we become His. In fact, he lets us know that we will indeed suffer and gives us hope, strength, even joy in the midst of suffering. The truth is that sin and suffering are a part of the world that we live in. People will experience pain and suffer emotionally, physically, financially, etc. I'm sure at this point you naturally want to stop reading about this topic and shy away from encountering the truth about suffering and pain, but I encourage you to continue and come face to face with the raw truth.
So the question is...Why suffer? Does it have a purpose?
Suffering is awful. We hate it. We run from it like a gazelle fleeing from a hungry lion. We will do almost anything to avoid it. But suffering is an inescapable part of living in this world. God does not spare even His most faithful servants from it but WORKS IT OUT FOR THEIR GOOD and the good of those around them. Job, Joseph and Paul are just three examples of people that encountered intense suffering. Since the original sin of Adam, this world has lived under a curse, a curse of suffering and death that will remain until Jesus Christ is revealed as the King of Kings. Our bodies grow old and suffer numerous painful ailments. Exercising their God-given free will, sinful human beings continue to inflict devastating pain on one another. And the blood of the martyrs has often been the seed of the church. In the midst of it all, many are tempted to shake their fist at God and say, “Why me?”, as if something strange were happening to them or as if they expect to somehow be exempt from the painful trials of this world. We should expect suffering in this life—Jesus promised it to us. We cannot expect God to spare us from all suffering when He did not spare His only Son from suffering.
It is hard, especially for Americans, to learn to die to self and the pleasures of this world. The Western, consumer-driven culture is designed around satisfying our every desire and avoiding suffering. This is probably why some in the West have developed a "health, wealth and prosperity" theology but not a theology of suffering. We are taught to live for the things of this world, and this has infected our churches. But when we come to faith in Christ, we receive a new master who has called us to be on mission with Him, and faithfulness to that mission will involve suffering. I do believe that God is good and wants the best for us but the fact is that God does not equate what is best for us and others around us with how much money we have and how much pain we are free from. From what I understand now, God decides what is ultimately good for us based on how it will glorify himself and point us to him....because he is GOD! think about that. Now, when this type of subject is introduced to someone in the midst of suffering it is even harder to talk about because it seems as if God has some type of ego problem and needs all attention on himself to the point that he even works out suffering such as cancer, murder and rape to glorify him in the end. God does not rape people or give them cancer!...but he does work these terrible results of a fallen world in disobedience to him out for the good of those that love him and for his glory. He is bigger than sin! Sin and suffering do are not out of God's control!
Another crucial thing to understand when considering suffering and pain is the sovereignty and goodness of God. He is both in control and good. God is not pleased with the suffering and pain that takes place in this world because of sin. The Bible tells us that he gets angry, weeps, grieves and even mourns because of the pain caused by sin. Well, if we are to consider the sovereignty of God one may ask...If he is sovereign, then doesn’t that mean that everything that happens is God's will? The answer is NO. There are many things that are not God's will...we call them sin. Everything that happens does not proceed from God's will as if he wanted sin. Everything is not in obedience to God. There is sin and rebellion and this is not what God wants. Darkness, evil and sin do not proceed from the character of God and God works out everything in the end for his ultimate redemptive good. This means that God is bigger than sin, evil, Satan and demons and that in the end God works out all things for the good as stated in Romans. This does not mean that all things are what God wanted or decreed or willed, but it does mean that even when there is sin and rebellion that he is big enough to work it out for his good and he does. God is not just sovereign but also good.
The bottom line is that the purpose of all of life is to glorify God and to make His glory known. Personally, I tend to squirm a little when I truly think about this...that all of life, everything, even suffering is intended to glorify God. But, once again I have to make the decision of whether I will believe in my own image of who I would like God to be or will I believe in him for who he really is and reveals himself to be? No sane person seeks out suffering. But as his children having a greater hope we embrace suffering when it comes, trusting in God's sovereignty and provision. We can suffer purposefully instead of purposelessly. When we suffer hardship well, trusting God along the way, we send a message to hurting people around the world so they can see a glorious God who loves them and gives strength in the midst pain. There should be a difference in the way a child of God suffers verses one that does not know him. Again the question is not...Will I suffer? But, when will I suffer and how long? This is the raw truth. The other question is...how will I suffer? Purposefully or with no purpose at all? Our suffering serves a purpose and that is to ultimately glorify God. Please feel free to comment! I would like to hear what you guys think about this subject.
Some content from: Mission Frontiers Magazine. Jan-Feb 2010. pgs. 4&5
More great teaching on God's hand in our suffering can be found at:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/redeemingruth/gods-hand-in-our-suffering
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