Suffering. No one wants it but in the economy of God, He uses it for our good and ultimately for His glory. As we read the Bible we see that God permits suffering because He has a purpose for it. And whether we are a Christian or a non-believer when suffering comes we have only two choices. We can become bitter or better.
For the Christian, sadly, without understanding that God always has a purpose in suffering, he or she can become bitter at God, especially if tragedy strikes when we believe we are doing the will of God. And that’s why it is so important to become familiar with verses like the following:
(John 16:33): “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
(1 Peter 4:12): “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you.”
(Romans 8:28): “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
(Psalm 119:71): “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”
These verses clearly tell the Christian that suffering is part of the package of being a disciple of Christ. Even the great Apostle Paul was told in the clearest terms possible to expect suffering as a Christian. For we read in (Acts 9:15-16): “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.’”
I believe that when suffering comes our way we need to trust God that He has a divine plan for ultimate good. And if we allow Him we can use the suffering we go through as an opportunity to bring Him glory. So, for the Christian we can use suffering to either grow more reliant and close to God or bitter and away from Him.
For the non-Christian, and particularly the atheist, the world must indeed be a cruel place for when suffering and tragedy strike they can’t even raise a fist against God to blame Him, because they don’t even believe He exists. You see only the Christian worldview can provide a satisfactory answer to the problem of pain and suffering. For the atheist, life must indeed seem so unfair when they are going through intense suffering.
Oftentimes the paradox of suffering is this: if we want to draw closer to a loving God we will have to endure painful suffering on occasion as suffering is one of God’s main tools to conform us to be more like Jesus. And just as Jesus learned obedience, which is another word for love, from the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8), we too must travel the same road to draw closer, in love, to God.
I think Randy Alcorn summed up the ultimate paradox of suffering when he said: “While Western atheists turn from belief in God because a tsunami in another part of the world caused great suffering, many brokenhearted survivors of that same tsunami found faith in God. This is one of the great paradoxes of suffering. Those who don’t suffer much think suffering should keep people from God, while many who suffer a great deal turn to God, not from Him.”1
I pray that as we draw closer to Jesus we will, no matter how much suffering we go through, make (Romans 8:18) one of our life verses: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
1 The Problem of Evil and Suffering, and Vaneetha Rendall Risner – Blog – Eternal Perspective Ministries (epm.org)