We have all certainly been through some sort of suffering, if we haven’t we are bound to in the future. Satan’s one desire is to break us Christians, troubles and trials are always coming our way! I seems that sometimes, the more we follow Gods plan for our lives, the harder things get. And yet God is a God of circumstances too. No matter how bleak it seems, He is in control.
The issue of suffering is the most frequently raised objection in the Christian faith; we as Christian are constantly being confronted by suffering. The fact of suffering undoubtedly accounts for the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been in every generation. It is disruptive and the degree it appears as is entirely random and therefore unfair.
We see suffering at 3 different scales; firstly from a global scale, there are many natural disasters that affect all of us at different levels and times. Secondly, we see community-suffering tragedies. Almost daily we either read or hear of some sort of tragedy in our hometown and city. Thirdly, we all suffer at an individual level. Suffering comes in an endless variety of forms and no one is immune from it.
Many different people have wrestled for centuries with the problem of suffering and no one has come up with a simple and compete solution. But the bible is a practical book; it never approaches the problem in a philosophical way. What we see are a number of approaches to the problem and this is seen all the way through, from Genesis to revelation. It shows that there are 4 main overlapping insights.
HUMAN FREEDOM:
There was no suffering in Gods original creation (Genesis 1-2). There was no suffering in the world before humans rebelled against God. There will also be no suffering when God returns, when He creates a new heaven and earth Rev 21:4 ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ Suffering only entered the world through Adam and Eve. So all suffering is a result of sin, directly or indirectly.
So then WHY DID GOD ALLOW SIN INTO THE WORLD?? He allowed sin into the world because He loves us and wants us to have a free will. Love is not love if it is forced, it can only be love if it is a choice. God created us humans to be free to choose what ever we please, and therefore gave us the choice and freedom to love and not to love. Given this freedom and will to choose, man and woman since the beginning have chosen to break Gods law and thus resulting in suffering.
WHERE DO OUR SUFFERINGS COME FROM?? We all suffer in different degrees and forms and they are all usually a result of 4 different sources. Either from ourselves, other, Satan or from God.
Self-inflicted suffering: firstly, some suffering we endure is a result of our self. They are self-inflicted, suffering that we bring about ourselves, whether it be a pure mistake or just our own stupidity. At times suffering it inevitable consequences of us breaking Gods law. God made a world built on moral foundations and there is a natural connection between sin and its consequences. Eg.. you touch a hot flame, you get burnt, you touch the sharp end of a knife, you are likely to cut your self, things like that. Examples like that, they are just plan common sense, but hey we are humans and we make mistakes, even though they are silly and stupid.
Genesis 6:5-6 says ‘And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. God actively judges sin in this life, the global flood, mentioned in the bible, is an example of suffering at a global level, as a result of sin.
Other examples include 2king 5:27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
Luke 1:20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
John 5:1-11 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
These all show of how God also judges the sin of individuals….and a good example of this is the life of Samuel. Judges 16:17,22,28 says ‘ finally Samson told her his secret…so the philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes…then Samson prayed to the Lord, “sovereign Lord, remember me again”. Samson life, although filled with foolish mistakes, was used mightily by God.
Suffering from other people: Secondly and the suffering that seems to hurt us the most, is the suffering that is inflicted by other people. This at times is where we get hurt and we loss trust in people, which can have a great effect on some people. This type of suffering isn’t only true for individuals, but also at a global scale. Many global events and suffering, such as wars and starvation, are a result of human sin and effects other people and not just the people that inflict it.
The majority of suffering inflicted by other people are a result of insensitive and foolish people and it’s the way we react to these situation that is important, but we must remember that its not our fault.
Satan's work: thirdly, some suffering is a result of Satan, in the hope to discourage us and lead us of the difficult and narrow path. If we are trying to do things Gods way, the evil is certainly going to try and make things as hard as he can!
Sometimes, I know I have underestimated the power of Satan. The bible tells us that we should expect suffering and Jesus was unequally vocal about this. He didn’t say ‘you may have trials and sorrows’, he didn’t say ‘if you stray off the right path you will have trial and sorrows’, NO! he said ‘you will have many trials and sorrows’
GODS PLACE IN SUFFERING
Does God cause us any suffering? Our God is a God of love and wants to correct us and restore us to himself. Suffering is never a good things in itself, but God is able to use it for good in a number of ways.
Firstly, suffering is used by God to draw us to Christ. God is a selfish God and wants us all, he wants us all to come into a relationship with him. It has been proven time and time again, that people come to know God as a result of suffering. Either from a loss of a loved one, a broken relationship or some other pain in out lives.
Secondly, God uses suffering to bring us to Christian maturity.
Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered
Hebrews 12:10,11 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
1Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
God uses suffering to build our character, our Father disciplines us for a little while, for our good. It may seem painful and unjust of God, but later it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
God also uses our suffering to make our lives more fruitful. Jesus said as a Gardner prunes the vine, so God prunes every fruitful branch.
Great faith is the product of great fights, great testimonies are the outcome of great tests, great triumphs can only come after great trials!.
I have found that those who have experiences more of Gods love have also experiences more suffering. When you crush lavender, you find more fragrance, and when you squeeze an orange, you get more juice. In the same way it is often through more pain and hurts, that we develop the fragrance and sweetness of Jesus in our lives.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Thirdly, God often uses suffering to bring about His good purpose. A good example of this is the life of Joseph. (Genesis 37-50) He was separated from his family, rejected, he was unjustly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t do. For thirty years he faced trials, temptation and testings, until he was made ruler of Egypt. Towards the end of his life he said this -Romans 50:20 ‘But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
It is not always easy to see at the time what God is doing, Joseph didn’t see this either, often we can’t work out what is going on or why we are suffering in the way we are. When we can learn to understand that God can use suffering to bring us to Christ, or to help mature us in faith, and to bring glory to Him, things don’t seem quiet as bad. We also need to understand that He does know what he is doing!
Yet this still leaves some suffering, which we cannot comprehend or account for, in any of these ways.
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