Hope And Suffering (5 Min Read)

The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls (which neither die nor sleep), having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies: and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.

- Westminster Confession of Faith 32.1, Of the State of Man After Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead

Suffering

I don’t think it is possible to have a genuine relationship with someone without eventually conversing about suffering and sharing the ways that you have suffered in this life. We all suffer. No one is immune to it; no one avoids suffering. Eventually, we find ourselves in situations that make our hearts sink, our bones feel dry, and our souls heavy and crushed. Suffering is a result of the sinfulness in this world, originating because of Adam’s sin against God and propagating through the human race, causing profound pain for all humanity. (Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:17)

Although the guilt of Adam’s sin has been transferred to us, we have also inherited a sinful nature, and we now suffer from this nature, the sins of others against us, sins of the world, and the deceitfulness of the devil. We now suffer from other people’s pain, confusion, and death, as well as our own. And this is a profound reality: we cannot merely point the finger at others, but we must recognize that we are responsible just as much as Adam for our sins. If people spoke honestly about their lives, and we weren’t mystified and fooled by Instagram filters and perfectly positioned headshots on Facebook, they would all say the same thing: “we are rather miserable; life is not what we wish it would be.”

Now, for the Christian, this is not the whole story. Our lives are not marked by sin or the groaning of the world. It is true that Paul instructs us by saying that those who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12) and that we were destined for affliction (1 Thessalonians 3:3), which all sounds fairly unpleasant. But, unlike those who don’t know Christ, we have much hope amid our suffering. Christians have the hope of heaven and the promise of a King who loves us.

The King’s Promise

One of the greatest and most comforting promises that our Lord has made to us is found in the opening verses of John 14:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (vv.1-3).

This passage is warm with comfort and assurance. Here, Jesus does not reveal many details about heaven, nor does it reveal much information about life after death, nor is it even the most comprehensive passage about heaven found in scripture. The reason this passage is so fond to so many is because of the warm and inviting image that is found there: heaven is a home. We need a home. We long for a home. We are people displaced and wanting something this world cannot offer. And Jesus, in this passage, promises to give us just that, the home we long for.

Jesus and his disciples were nearing his crucifixion, and they were about to witness the death of the Son of God upon a cursed cross, and amid this looming tragedy, he is aware of their hearts and their fear, and so he comforts them by saying, “let not your hearts be troubled.” He told them, do not be vanquished and overwhelmed by this crisis, remain brave, courageous and steadfast. But the question is, how does one remain untroubled in a time like this? He continues by instructing them to “believe.” However, at first sight, this does not seem like very good advice. In the throngs of misery and uncertainty, the last thing that people want to hear is rarely, “hey, just think differently!” We want to know the tangible things we can do to make our situation better. 

Here, Christ tells them to have faith in him, to believe in God, and so set their minds on the things of heaven and not on the things of this Earth (Colossians 3:2). And here, we realize that our comfort and reaction to suffering are all dependent on how we think. Whether our thinking is instructed by the scriptures and faith, or by our own eyes and human consequences. Jesus instructs them to believe in him by faith because he was to be exalted and acknowledged to be the Son of God, who has in himself a sufficiency of strength for maintaining the safety of his followers. Have faith in God’s goodness (Psalm 119:68) and his promises to strengthen us (Isaiah 41:10) and the glorious rest he offers for our souls (Matthew 11:28-30). If our focus is on these things, then our minds will not quickly become troubled, and heart will not soon become broken. 

He comforts his disciples, telling them that their hope is not lost precisely because Jesus is preparing a home for them, one where their greatest delight will be realized: their reunion with Christ. This truth is for us today as well. Imagine your father, mother, sister, spouse, or child standing in the presence of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, exalting him in singing praises to his name with no pain or tears or suffering! Right now! Imagine this heavenly home that our Lord has promised and how it awaits all those who are in Christ (Colossians 3:3)! What a glorious and focusing thought indeed.

We can look to heaven with great anticipation and hope, knowing that God in Christ has prepared a place for us, a place where there will be no suffering. We can press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14) because of the strength we gain from the hope we have in Christ and his promise today. 

Heaven on Earth

But heaven has come to Earth as well. Listen to our Lord when he teaches his disciples to pray, saying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We are comforted here and now by the God of all comfort as he changes his people to resemble what we will be. Christ teaches his disciples to pray that what is true in heaven would be true on Earth for God's people now, that the church would be like heaven, here on the Earth. So not only can we be eager for the hope of heaven for eternity, but we can expect that the church will grow, the Spirit will continue to empower, men and women will draw nearer to God and this will be a glimpse of heaven, even here and now on the Earth. 

Among the hope of heaven and the expectation of the church, suffering still remains.

Peter says:

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10).

And Paul likewise says:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Christ has given us all we need to be comforted in life because he knows that we will never escape the suffering in this world due to sin. Christ has done a work of recreation, and because of his grace, we can see suffering diminish and hope abound. We are a people who have a magnanimous God who is always ready to provide the comforts and hope that we need. Our God sympathizes with our weakness (Hebrews 4:15), shows compassion to us as a father to his children (Psalm 103:13), comforts us in every affliction (2 Corinthians 1:4), and restores our soul (Psalm 23).

Suffering usually forces us to focus more on Christ but let me extend a challenge to you; fix your eyes on him today whether you are in a trial or not. Thank him for this time of ease and rest, and ask him to prepare your heart for the times of suffering that will come, via the means he has provided for us. However, we who are in Christ resound with triumph. The triumph over sin, death, and the grave because of the accomplishment of Christ on our behalf. 

And so despite suffering, Paul gives us this assurance and hope:

So, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).