Why Suffer?
Why is there so much suffering? Why do we suffer? Why have I suffered? Is there purpose for suffering? What do you feel when you hear about someone suffering? Does it matter who it is? What do you do when you are in the midst of very traumatic times? Where is God when this happens? Why would God allow anyone to suffer? You probably have thought about these questions and many more, especially when it is you or someone close to you who is suffering. Rarely do we understand anything during our suffering. Normally we just want it to end. I have a good friend who says that when we do not learn from our experiences, it is a missed opportunity for growth! Is that true with suffering?
Lets start at the beginning of creation. Did God initially plan for us to suffer in his creation? In the book of Genesis throughout the story of creation it says God saw what he was creating and it was good. It is written five times God saw that it was good. After six days all creation was completed “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.”(Genesis 1:31) Does this sound like God originally planned for us to suffer in his creation? If not, where did suffering come from? As the book of Genesis continues, the serpent tempted Eve and then Eve convinced Adam to disobey God and they ate the forbidden fruit of the tree. God responded, how could you do such a thing? Then God said to the women, “You will bear children with intense pain and suffering” (Genesis 3:16). This is the first time that suffering is mentioned in the Bible. Unfortunately, it will not be the last time. To Adam God said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. All your life you will sweat to produce food until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. You were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.” Does that sound good and excellent in every way to you? Then God said to the serpent, “Because you did this, you will be punished. You will be singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly.” No wonder I do not like snakes! “He will crush your head and you strike his heel.” What did God mean? Satan (the serpent) is our enemy. He will do anything he can to have us follow him. When God said “ He will crush your head and you strike at his heal” He is referring to Satan’s repeated attempts to defeat the Son of God during his life on earth. He will crush your head tells of Satan’s defeat when Christ rises from the dead. A strike on the heel is not deadly, but a crushing blow to the head is. In the beginning, God was already revealing to us his plan to defeat Satan and offer salvation to the world through his Son Jesus Christ. Was suffering to penalize us for our choices in the beginning? Is suffering a result of today’s sin? Do we ever suffer without sin being the root cause? Is suffering part of God’s plan for us? Is there any benefit to suffering? Why suffer?
The book of Job is a good one to read in order to understand some, if not all, of this. What follows is a brief summation of this book. Job was a prosperous farmer who had a life that was filled with prestige, possessions, and people. Job was a fine man with great integrity who feared God, did good works, and would have nothing to do with evil. Then, through no action or fault of his own, Job lost all his wealth, his children, and even his own health. When this was happening, his friends were quick to judge. Most were convinced this all happened to him because of some great sin(s) that Job committed. Job knew better but could not understand why it was all happening to him. However, he never blamed God for any of it. Even after Job’s wife said to give up, curse God, and die, he did not. With Job’s growing desire to understand why he was suffering, he did question God. Nevertheless, through it all, he did not blame or lose his faith in God. Little did Job know that Satan, who was trying to prove a point to God, was causing all his suffering. God was watching. Because of Job’s steadfast faith, Satan lost. God took over and restored Job by twofold from what he had prior to Satan’s attacks. You need to read the book of Job.
After reading Job you will realize that suffering can be, but not always, a penalty for sin. Likewise, prosperity is not always the reward for serving and being good. The truth is, those who fear, honor, and love God are not exempt from suffering. Although we may not be able to understand fully the pain we experience in life, it can lead us to rediscover God. Suffering can purify our faith. God is present everywhere, though at times He may seem far away. This normally makes us feel alone, scared and doubtful of His care for us. We should always trust and serve God based on who He is rather than on how we feel. When God chooses to use us, it often comes at a time when we least expect it and when we feel least qualified. Sometimes being chosen comes with suffering for a purpose, as it was with Job.
There are several sources of suffering. One’s own sin, other’s sin, avoidable, and unavoidable disaster. Who is responsible for these types of suffering? I am for my own sins, others are for their sin and those who allowed the sin, the persons who ignore the facts and do not take precautions for avoidable disaster, and lastly God or Satan is responsible for the unavoidable disasters. What should be our response in these situations? Repent and confess our sins to God, actively resist others’ sinful behavior, be alert and take precautions when you should, and, most importantly, always trust in God. Again, always trust God!
Some one once said that life is 10% what happens to you and the other 90% is how you react to it. Think about how true that is. Suffering, like Job, can cause us to trust God for who He is, not for what He does, or we can choose to harden our hearts and reject Him. Suffering can be helpful if we turn to God for understanding, endurance, and deliverance from it. Our suffering can prepare us to serve by allowing us identify with and comfort others who suffer. Suffering will humble us and cause us to slow down and ask important questions that we may not have asked otherwise. We become wiser from each suffering experience. Suffering builds character. Romans 5:3-5, we can rejoice, too, when we suffer, run into problems and trails, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectations of salvation.
The non-believer would say this is all nonsense. Suffering is because of your own stupidity. It is because you are not taking care of yourself, not making yourself number one, or not always being first. It is something of which you have total control. When you suffer, it is your own darn fault. Nothing good comes from suffering. If you allow anyone to cause you to suffer, you deserve it. Fight back and take control and care for yourself! Folks, nothing could be further from the truth. Knowing a person that was a non-believer, this person had a stroke, who suffered for many long months, almost a year after brain surgery, never recovering I asked myself why did he have to suffer so long before dying? The answer was crystal clear after hearing his last few words that he spoke eight days before going in to a coma then to his death, “God bless you”. That is right, he acknowledged God after having plenty of time to be born again in Christ. Then he wanted God to bless me. God gives us our time; suffering can be part of that time from which to learn. Read James 5:10-11, for examples of patience in suffering, dear brother and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended good, for his is full of tenderness and mercy.
Lastly, my friends, look at how our savior Jesus Christ suffered. Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit on, and hung with nails on a cross, then speared. He died a slow, suffocating death as his diaphragm muscle gave out from exhaustion and, with his last breath, saying, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” The 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ” dramatically presents how our savior, Son of God, Jesus Christ suffered prior to and during his crucifixion. This was God’s son whom he gave for the forgiveness of our sins. It is only with this tremendous act of sacrifice and suffering that we are justified by grace through our faith. It would be like you willingly sitting in the electric chair being executed for some one else’s crime(s). Think about it! When you are suffering, remember it is an experience that can bring you closer to God, teach you endurance, help you to learn how to help others, build character, humble you, and make you wiser. Through it all, God is with you and always loves you.
In Christ,
