Suffering is good.
Now there is a statement that is sure to raise a few questions in the minds of most readers and thinkers.
Yet the Scriptures affirm that the varied kinds of suffering endured by believers really are for their good and for God’s glory. A few examples:
- Suffering from sin teaches us the wonder of God’s forgiveness (Ps. 32; Rom. 9:22-24). How will we ever comprehend the compassion, mercy, grace, love, patience, endurance, kindness, and wrath of God if there is no sin and no consequences of sin? Sin and the suffering that emanates from that sin becomes a vehicle of grace to know and understand the magnificence and depth of God’s character.
- Suffering from living in a fallen world teaches us the attraction of eternity (2 Cor. 4:8ff). Were it not for suffering and the loss of things temporal, we would be inclined to treasure what we have or might have now rather than treasuring Christ. Suffering illness and death and robbery and accident and weakness and decay is a means God uses to compel us to long more for eternity and Himself than we yearn for meager failing benefits today.
- Suffering from trials and tests teaches us the strength of God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:7-10). How will we ever know even to appeal to God for His grace, or the superlative strength of that grace if we do not suffer? Suffering drives us to Him and His eternal sustenance.
- Suffering from persecution teaches us the suffering of Christ and allows us to fill-up that suffering to a watching world (1 Pt. 4:12-19; Col. 1:24). The world cannot see the actual crucifixion and suffering of Christ, but it can see our suffering on behalf of Christ — and that suffering becomes a testimony to the power of the gospel and a tool to draw men to Himself.
- All manner of suffering teaches us to worship (Job 1-2, 40-42). Every occurrence of suffering points us to acknowledge that we may not know “why” but we do know who is sovereign and sufficient — God alone — and we will worship and entrust ourselves to Him for all things.
Words of Grace 