Suffering Hurts
Suffering is a difficult concept to deal with in light of the Christian witness and walk. Some people struggle with it more than others, but one thing is consistent: Suffering hurts. However, I believe that suffering can be good and is good in the life of a professing believer in Jesus Christ. I feel that I am qualified to make such a statement because I am well acquainted with the fragility of the human condition and the Fallenness of Creation.
“You’re gonna be a daddy,” my wife tells me, trying to hold back her excitement for our second pregnancy. I must honestly say that I was very apprehensive to become excited since the last time my wife miscarried the baby three days after she told me she was pregnant. It was not as exciting for me as for other people who have not experienced the loss of a wanted pregnancy or watching the hurt in the eyes of the most precious woman in your world as the medical professional explains how there will not be a baby in 8 months. However, we knew God was with us and was going to see this second pregnancy through. God has always shown His goodness in the past, so this would be no different.
After the 12-week appointment, we decided it was safe to tell everyone. The OBGYN said there was a very small chance to miscarry a baby at this stage in the pregnancy. In a measure to be very cautious, the OBGYN sent us to see a specialist as well. Everything looked good until a couple of short weeks later when we learned that my wife’s blood pressure was unstable, and the baby, Michah, had a severe growth lag. That turned into a long ordeal that culminated in a hospital stay, seeing lots of doctors and specialists, the induction and still-birth of Michah, and almost losing the love of my life to a relatively routine human experience. One fond memory I have of this time was the afternoon before the labor induction. My wife and I turned on a worship song, held each other, cried, and worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ in the hospital room. We were praying for a miracle and hoping to see God show out in a miraculous way. At approximately 1:45 am, God answered our prayers for a miracle with a resounding, “NO.”
What am I Supposed to do With That Answer?
To wrestle with the issues of the Fall of Creation, a person must deeply think theologically from a Christ-centered perspective to begin to understand the good that God exposes in these times of tragic despair. The first truth that comes to mind is the Sovereignty of God. Yes, God knew what we were going to endure, and God could have intervened in a different way, but that was not what He chose. Nevertheless, God reigned supreme over our situation. Despite my desire to have a different outcome, I had no control over the situation, which exposes another truth: To live in Christ is to live in dependence upon Him. Jesus said, “You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20). Our life is unpredictable, but not out of the sovereign understanding of God at any time; nor out of God’s ability to interject Himself. God alone is the author of life and death. God gets to choose, not us.
Job was expressly familiar with these truths. There is an excellent wealth of theological truths that are exposed through the book of Job. For the purposes of this article, I cannot delve into the richness of these truths, but I do want to highlight one major point: Suffering is for the Christian’s good (spiritual well-being). Both mine and Job’s experiences exhibit God’s ability to turn tragedy into spiritual growth.
Tragedy turns the focus inward. “Who sinned? This man’s parents or himself that he would be born blind?” That was the question posed to Jesus in John 9:2. The disciples wanted to understand why God would allow this to happen to someone or what was the underlying cause. Surely, they were expecting this to be divine punishment from God, but take heed to Jesus’ response in the following verses. “That the works of God might be displayed in him,” was Jesus’ answer to their question. Alas, it was not a particular sin issue. It was not God’s fault; it was not the man’s fault, nor was it the parents' fault. This was solely for God to display His works through this infirmity; Jesus was about to reaffirm His divinity in the presence of the people. Tragedy makes us ask the same questions: Is God mad at me? Which sin am I being punished for? Tragedy turns our focus inward to try to find a root cause. Tragedy turns our perspective toward causation and purpose.
Jesus was clear with His disciples: The works of God would be shown. Maybe you are like me and you have experienced great loss, deep hurt, or grievous trials that made you ask some of these questions. My questions are no longer the same as those disciples. My questions are: “How did I experience the works of God in the midst of my tragedy?” “How have I seen God at work in my midst?” “What did this reveal about God’s character?” “What impact has seeing God in these ways shaped my understanding of Him and strengthened my walk with Him?” “In what ways has this season of struggle, or this tragic experience made me more like Christ?”
God is not cruel, nor is He apathetic towards our feelings. The book of Hebrews is clear that Jesus can understand our times of struggle (Heb. 4:14-16). God is molding us to be heavenly minded. God is shaping our desire to be less on materialism and more on Him. God is leading us into a love relationship with Himself, wooing us away from the desires of this physical world. My hope is in Jesus, who will restore what was lost. My hope is in Jesus, who will vindicate on my behalf. My hope is in Jesus, who will repay according to just scales in the balance of life. My hope is in the Lamb, who was slaughtered for my injustices, my sins, my failures. He suffered for me, because of me.
What have I concluded? Suffering is good. It draws me closer to Jesus. It allows me to intimately experience Jesus through His scriptures. Suffering causes me to be dependent on the Holy Spirit and the scriptures in ways that I would not have otherwise been able to experience. Suffering allows me to have a perspective shift from the why of suffering to the purpose of suffering. Suffering brings a portion of God’s glory to Earth. Suffering causes Heaven’s reality to crash through the natural reality. Suffering enables the opportunity for God’s people to care for one another; thereby, expressing God’s love. Suffering humbles me. Suffering brings deep growth. No one should desire suffering to befall them, but when it comes, take heart because God is about to mold you into someone slightly different, conforming you into the image of Christ. Whether an effect of the Fall of Creation, or a direct attack from Satan himself, hold on, keep the Faith, lean into Jesus, and rest assured that God will be with you. Therefore, Suffering is good. What good has suffering brought to your life? How has suffering deepened your walk with Jesus?
Deuteronomy 31:6; Proverbs 18:24; Job 42:2-6; James 1:2-18
