Suffering and the believer...

Chapter Thirty-nine:

When we hear the term suffering, we often think of those who suffer from an illness or a tragedy that has befallen us.  If this type of suffering does occur, we want it to be over quickly so that we may resume our normal lives.  If our suffering is due to a tragedy of some type, we hope that there will be friends and family who will rally around us and help out by making us meals, or help with such things as housework or yard work. 

Then there is the suffering that happens in our lives simply because we are promoters of the Gospel.  I am sure we have read or heard of missionaries who had to endure much hardship and suffering attempting to promote the Gospel. First Peter 4:16 says, "If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."

 Any time we obey God it has the potential to cause us distress...not that we ourselves are physically distressed, but we can become distressed when we have to face the cost our decisions have on those around us. They may not understand what we are doing and that can cause us pain.  We feel torn between our love for them and our obedience to God. Unfortunately, many have disobeyed God and walked away from His calling on their life because they did not want to upset others or have others disapprove of them. These people end up living regretful lives, wondering how things would have been different had they obeyed God.

Suffering is a age old question that mankind has been struggling with for centuries. One of the most common questions people pose to followers of Christ is "why is there suffering...how can God allow such suffering in the world if He is loving and cares for us?"  The conclusion they draw about this question often lays the course for how they will choose to live their life.  Can they reconcile that suffering is a real thing in this life while at the same time believing that the God of the Holy Bible is a God of love?  As believers, many of us have come to understand through reading Scripture that suffering is a part of life.  We have read the story of Job who suffered tremendously, from seeing his loved ones die to dealing with physical torment himself.  We read of the ultimate story of suffering when we hear about our Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins.  But how do we respond when suffering affects us personally?  

Unfortunately, suffering is just one of the many tools that God uses to do a work in His children.  I say "unfortunately" because that is how we as humans view it, but God views it entirely different.  He sees it as a necessity in our lives because He knows what it produces in us, what it works out of us and how it helps us to eventually become even more like Christ.  I would propose to you that suffering can be a good thing in our lives, even though our minds would disagree.  We read in I Peter 1:6,7 "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  

John Newton refers to this as being in the "furnace of affliction" and says, "The Lord is sitting by it as a refiner of silver, to moderate the fire, and manage the process, so that you shall lose nothing but dross (waste or impurities), and be brought forth as refined gold, to praise his name." Suffering often gives us the drive we need to press into God to help us get through the ordeal.

God also wants you to realize that turning to others for help is not the first thing you should be doing.   While it is easier, especially in this day and age of fast communication, to turn to a friend or a family member for help and consolation, He wants to be the one you turn to first.  And, sadly, you may find that others are not as comforting as you had hoped, or are at a loss, just as you are, as to why things are happening.  

I submit to you that while God does want to teach us, I believe there are times that He wants us to "unlearn" something we have incorporated into our lives.  It can be an erroneous teaching, an attitude we have adopted, or a way of living that is displeasing to Him or somehow hinders His work in our lives. For instance, if we have been raised in a church where we were taught that Christians should have no problems in life, God will try to make sure that we realize that we are simply being self-reliant and are of little use to Him. 

Second Corinthians 1:3-5 says, "  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."  How can you console another and offer them real comfort if you, yourself, do not know what it is like to need consolation and comfort? The lie that believers will live a problem-free life is one He needs to uncover and remove from you, or you will be of no use to Him and the Kingdom.

What if He wants you to suffer more than what you think is reasonable? Can you trust that He has your best interests at heart and that He has a purpose for it? What if you go through hardship and have no idea why it is happening?  It is often easier to face an ordeal when the "why's" have been answered to our satisfaction, but what if when you asked "Why, Lord?" you got no answer...would you be willing to endure even though you did not know why it was happening?

There are times when God allows us to suffer simply because He wants us to get alone with Him.  It is then that He can begin to teach us.  Oswald Chambers said, "As you journey with God, the only thing He intends to be clear is the way He deals with your soul. The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you.  We think we understand another person's struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him."

God wants us to turn to Him when we feel we cannot endure another moment. He wants us to go to Him in our suffering. He desires to be the one that soothes us, that gives us solace. He wants us to learn, deep down, that He is the one we need to rely on. It can be hard to remember that God really loves us when we are in the midst of trouble. But, He does love us and He is waiting to show you. All you need to do is reach out to Him and ask Him to comfort you. He may not take away the trouble, but I have discovered that He will give you the comfort you need. Isaiah 41:10 says, " So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."