"Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with His Presence." -Paul Claudel
Why does God allow suffering? Why does God allow bad things to happen? If God is in control, then why won't He change my situation? Why isn't God answering my prayers? Why is God allowing (fill in the blank with your situation) to happen? These are questions you've probably wondered about, but don't have an answer to. We know that God is faithful and we know He loves us, so why do we suffer?
1. FOR HIS GLORY: In the book of Habakkuk, Habakkuk is asking God questions about why God is allowing suffering to happen. But God answers back that He will use our suffering to bring glory to His name! Although we may not understand, God's plans are great and He sees the bigger picture. We can fully put our trust in Him in whatever situation we may find ourselves in because He is always faithful!
2. WE WERE NEVER PROMISED A LIFE WITHOUT SUFFERING: John 16:33 says "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”" God did not promise us a life without suffering. He said you will have tribulation. Jesus' birth & death made it so we are forgiven, but that does not mean we will live a life without suffering. Instead, we will suffer but it is all for His greater purpose.
3. WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE: Because of Christ's sacrifice, we have eternal life! We may suffer on earth, but we are promised that in Heaven we will suffer no more. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”" -Revelations 4:21. We can have peace knowing that while we may suffer now, it will not be for forever.
4. WE SHARE IN CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS: "But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." - 1 Peter 4:13. Christ suffered for our sins, and as followers of Christ, we share in His sufferings. But through our suffering, we must keep on serving God and praising Him for He keeps His promises.
5. HE KNOWS WHAT WE GO THROUGH: Just as we share in Christ's sufferings, we also share in His comfort (2 Corinthians 1:5-7). While Jesus walked upon the earth, He suffered just as we do. He was fully human and fully God. He faced trials and tribulations and pain. He faced everything you are going through and more. He understands it all. He can sympathize with us (Hebrews 4:15).
6. WE ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR SUFFERING: He is our strength, our peace, and our hope. He Is always with us. "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”" -Deuteronomy 31:8. We can rest knowing that He is with us.
7. HIS PLANS ARE GREATER: Although we may not see the bigger picture or understand, God does. He works everything out for His glory in His perfect time. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28.
8. HE REMAINS THE SAME: Although we may suffer, God remains the same. He remains good. He remains in control. He still and always will love us. He keeps His promises. Our circumstances do not change who He is, but who He is can change our circumstances.
It can be difficult to understand why we suffer, especially when everyone seems against us. We often focus on what we're going through instead of focusing our eyes on God and His hope. When we don't understand, we need to put our trust in God. When we place our trust in God, we don't need to understand. But since we cannot fully comprehend why we suffer, we need to put our faith entirely in God and know that He will be with us through it all.
During our suffering, we can fully trust in God because of who He is. He is the only one who is good, He loves us deeply, He keeps His promises, His ways are higher, His plans are greater, His ways are better, and He is aways faithful. These are truths about who God is and always will be.
Our sufferings humble us so we know that it's not about us, but about Him. It always was and always will be about Him. He is working to grow His kingdom and he will use our suffering and sorrow to do so. We have to put ourselves aside-even in our waiting, suffering, and pain-and focus our eyes on Him.
Let's go back to the quote you read at the beginning of this post by Paul Claudel: "Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with His Presence." Let this be your reminder that Jesus did not come to take your suffering away. We will suffer in this world, but we must trust in Him. We are not alone in our suffering and it is all for His glory.
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