Go! And Trust God in the Midst of Suffering - Romans 8:18
“If God Is Real, Why Is There Suffering?”
INTRODUCTION
If God is real, why is there suffering?
Few questions strike the human heart with such force. It’s the question whispered at hospital bedsides, shouted in grief at gravesides, pondered on sleepless nights, and argued in university classrooms.
But it is also one of the most pastoral, personal questions a Christian will ever face.
Maybe you have asked it.
Maybe you are asking it today.
And into that question, God speaks—not with cold philosophy, but with a Saviour who suffers, bleeds, dies, rises, and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.
Today, in our “Go! And…” series, the Spirit of God calls us to:
Go! And… trust God in the midst of suffering.
Go! And… cling to Christ.
Go! And… shine hope into a hurting world.
ROMANS 8:18 (NLT): “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”
THE GOD WHO SPEAKS INTO SUFFERING
Paul is writing to a persecuted church. Believers were being marginalised, mocked, arrested, and in some cases martyred.
The Greek word for suffer here is pa??µata (pathemata)—it refers not only to pain, but to deep experiences that leave a mark on the soul.
Paul does not minimise suffering. He magnifies glory.
He says: This hurts. But this hurt is not the end of the story.
POINT 1 — SUFFERING IS REAL, BUT GOD IS PRESENT
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT): “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Israel was facing exile—displacement, despair, destruction. Yet God’s covenant promise remained.
“With you” — ??????? (ittecha) — intensely personal, meaning with you in a committed, involved, sustaining way.
God is not distant in suffering—He is Immanuel, God with us.
When the diagnosis comes, when the job is lost, when the family fractures—God does not watch from a distance. He gets into the waters with you.
Max Lucado once wrote, “God never said the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”
As Dean Courtier I would say: this is not sentimental optimism—this is Gospel reality. God walks with us because Christ Himself entered our suffering on the cross.
The Silversmith
A Christian once watched a silversmith refining silver.
The craftsman held the metal in the flame—not too long, not too short.
“Do you always watch it so carefully?” the believer asked.
“Oh yes,” said the silversmith. “I never take my eye off it. If I leave it in the fire even a moment too long, it will be destroyed.”
“How do you know when it is fully refined?”
He answered, “When I can see my reflection in it.”
And so it is with God.
He does not abandon us in the furnace. He watches over us, and uses even pain to shape us so that Christ is reflected in us.
POINT 2 — SUFFERING HAS PURPOSE IN GOD’S HANDS
James 1:2–4 (NLT): “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow…”
Greek Word Study:
“Tested” — d???µ??? (dokimion) — the process that proves something is genuine.
Suffering doesn’t create faith—it reveals it. Strengthens it. Matures it.
John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
Your suffering is not meaningless. God is at work in ways you cannot yet see.
In a world where people numb their pain with distraction, addiction, or despair, Christians run to God, not away from Him. Pain becomes a place of discipleship, maturity, and dependence on Christ.
POINT 3 — GOD USES SUFFERING TO DRAW US TO CHRIST
Psalm 34:18 (NLT): “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Hebrew Word:
“Broken-hearted” — ??????????????? (nishberei-lev) — shattered, splintered, beyond human repair.
God specialises in broken things.
Jesus Himself said in Luke 4:18 that He came to heal the broken-hearted.
Tim Keller wrote, “You don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
It is in suffering that many truly discover the sufficiency of Christ.
The Night the Stars Appeared
In a remote village, a power outage plunged everything into darkness.
But once the lights were off, people looked up. For the first time in years, the night sky exploded with beauty—stars, galaxies, light they had never seen before.
Sometimes God allows the lights of comfort to go out so we can finally see the glory of Christ shining brighter than anything else.
POINT 4 — THE GOSPEL: GOD ENTERS OUR SUFFERING THROUGH CHRIST
Christianity alone has a Saviour who suffers.
Isaiah 53:3–5 (NLT): “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.”
Theological Reality:
The cross is God’s ultimate answer to suffering—He enters it, bears it, redeems it, and conquers it.
Christ’s Death, Burial, and Resurrection:
Jesus suffered for us.
Jesus died in our place.
Jesus was buried in our stead.
Jesus rose to give us life, hope, forgiveness, and eternity.
Our suffering may wound us—but His suffering saves us.
Charles Stanley said, “God will never waste your pain.”
Your pain has been touched by the hands of a crucified Redeemer. He transforms it for His glory and your good.
POINT 5 — SUFFERING WILL NOT HAVE THE FINAL WORD
Revelation 21:4 (NLT): “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
In Christ, suffering is temporary. Glory is eternal.
In Christ, sorrow is momentary. Joy is everlasting.
In Christ, pain ends. Hope lives.
CALL TO ACTION — GO! AND TRUST GOD IN SUFFERING
Go! And turn to Christ in your pain.
Go! And comfort others with the comfort Christ has given you.
Go! And live as people who have eternal hope.
Go! And let suffering deepen—not destroy—your faith.
SALVATION INVITATION:
If you have never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, hear this clearly:
You do not need a life without suffering.
You need a Saviour who walks with you through it.
You need forgiveness.
You need hope.
You need eternal life.
You need Jesus.
Today, repent of your sin.
Turn from your own way.
Trust in Jesus who died for you, who was buried, who rose again, and who offers you new life.
Pray:
“Lord Jesus, I trust You. I repent. I believe. Save me.
Be my Saviour. Be my Lord. I give You my life.”
BENEDICTION / EXHORTATION:
May the God who carries us in suffering fill you with hope, strengthen your faith, and shine His glory through your life.
Go in His peace, His presence, and His power.
Amen.
