Many years ago a controversial man and his friends traveled the world teaching and helping the less fortunate. Year after year the fame of the Teacher grew and so did his clashes with the authorities. One of the Teacher’s friends feared for his future and so for the price of a new set of clothes, made a deal with local rulers to betray his friend the Teacher. On a given night the betrayer was paid and then he led the Teacher right into a trap where he was arrested. The events that followed are graphic as the Teacher was beaten, tortured and eventually brought up on false charges and sentenced to death. The Teacher unjustly and unfairly suffered.
To one degree or another you too may have also experienced suffering in your life. If you have I am truly sorry for the events you have endured. In 1996, I experienced the deaths of three dear family and friends and also the breakup of my marriage. It was a year of unprecedented suffering that has yet to be rivaled in my near fifty years of life. Whenever we encounter such times of crisis, it is easy to wonder where God is in all of this. In today’s message, we will launch a series entitled,: “The Hard Truths of the Bible,” beginning with the topic of suffering.
In today’s message, we’ll aim to answer the question, “Why does God allow suffering?” That may be a tall order, but if God really is the God of the universe than I believe it is just fine for us to ask Him difficult and pointed questions. In so doing, however, we need to be open and ready to receive the answers to the Hard Truths of the Bible.
Let’s prepare our hearts in prayer. Lord, we come to you today wanting to find answers about the most challenging times of life. We want to understand where you fit into them and why you allow them to happen. Help us to keep our hearts and minds open as your Spirit leads and guides us. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen.
It’s important that we pray before tackling any of the Hard Truths of the Bible, not because they’re hard for God to answer, but because we can often be hardened in our thinking or in our hearts due to the difficult experiences we’ve had. When we approach God our heart must be open and expectant to receive from Him. No matter what He has to give us we must trust that God will impart it to us in a way we can receive and incorporate into our lives.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) states, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Now that our hearts are open, let’s first flip this topic on it’s optimistic end and look at a few ways that God uses suffering for our benefit.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has excelled in many areas, acting, politics but before any of that he was a world recognized body builder. Arnold said that when he worked out, he didn’t even begin counting reps until it started to hurt. The burning we feel when we push our muscles to this place is the slight tearing of our muscle tissue. When we allow our muscles to rest and recover over the next 24-48 hours, the muscle heals by building new tissue in the space created by the torn tissue, thus making our muscles bigger and stronger. No one enjoys the pain of working out but the benefits are quite nice, like better health and a more toned physique. In some ways, suffering shares some similarities, although not usually better health and a sculpted body.
1st benefit: We gain strength when we survive our sufferings.
Romans 5:1-3 (ESV) promises, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,”
These events can make us wiser and better prepared to deal with future times of difficulty and challenge. I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to become a student of their own experiences, whether good or bad. We are all familiar with Albert Einstein’s successes, however, few recall that although he graduated from university, he was such a poor student that he nearly dropped out. His own father even died believing his son was a failure, a very heartbreaking assessment Einstein lived with for years. Had Albert camped out in this evaluation of his intellect, modern physics may never have benefited from his views on space, time, mass and energy. We gain strength when we learn from the lessons taught when we encounter tumultuous times.
2nd benefit: Suffering allows us to help others when they go through similar circumstances.
No one has more clout in the eyes of a person struggling than someone who has similarly struggled in the same area. A friend of mine regularly attends AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings and also meets with a sponsor (a seasoned AA member who mentors new members). His sponsor speaks with authority because of the trials he has conquered and even failed concerning his addiction. Never underestimate the opportunities you will have to help others simply for having survived your suffering. This is God’s economy in action.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV) encourages, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
3rd benefit: Suffering allows us to experience God.
James 5:13 (ESV) simply states, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”
In 2018, Southwest flight 1380 experienced an engine explosion that tragically killed Jennifer Riordan (from Albuquerque) and had to make an emergency landing. Passengers interviewed after the crash reported that during the terrifying minutes before they landed everyone prayed, even if they didn’t know how, they would simply pray the Lord’s prayer they’d memorized as a child. God uses trials and calamities to show us both His ability and willingness to render aid.
Psalm 46:1 (ESV) extols, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
We’ve seen how God can use suffering to our benefit, now let’s dig into why God allows suffering at all. To answer this we must go back to where suffering first began. Genesis 3 details the entrance of sin into the world when man rebelled against God. The result of sin is affliction, suffering and death.
Genesis 3:16-19 (ESV) reports, “To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,‘You shall not eat of it,’cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
The answer to our question is God never intended man’s suffering. He even tried to keep us from it by giving us guidelines on what not to do. The answer we may have difficulty accepting is we have suffering because man rebelled and all men have inherited this sin nature and the curse of affliction, suffering and death.
The good news is from the very inception of sin into the world, God was ready with a rescue plan in His son Jesus. Through Christ’s birth, death and resurrection we have a way of escape from an eternity of separation from God to a future of unending fellowship with the Father.
We opened today with a story about the Teacher who unjustly and unfairly suffered when his friend betrayed Him. In case you missed it, the man I mentioned was none other than Jesus. His disciple Judas turned on Him for a mere 30 pieces of silver (worth about $200 or the cost of a suit of clothes). Later, when Jesus hung on the cross, dying for humanity’s sins, His own Father, God also turned his back on His only son. Jesus can more than identify with us when we suffer.
Now suffering can hold the light of hope, instead of the dreariness of doom. This is not to say that now we should insanely look forward to afflictions or view them as fun. It just means that in the perspective of all things, we can find our strength in Christ and trust the hand of God to use the events of our trials for our and others ultimate benefit.
Romans 8:28 (ESV) promises, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
As we conclude this first message on the Hard Truths of the Bible, maybe you aren’t satisfied with the answer I’ve outlined as to why God allows suffering. If that’s you, I encourage you to continue asking God to give you what you need until you better understand.
James 1:5 (ESV) instructs us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
We may not fully comprehend God’s ways or plans until we see Him face to face. In the meantime, He invites us to give everything to Him that we don’t understand and that we can’t handle.
Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV) beckons, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
When we suffer, remember we are not alone or without help or hope.
Let’s pray. Jesus, thank you for suffering and dying for me so that I might live. May I draw strength from you in my times of trouble and let me help others when they struggle. Give me wisdom when I encounter my trials and understanding about why we suffer. In Jesus, mighty name. Amen.
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