Take for a moment if you will, to contemplate what it must be like, though we are unable of fully experiencing this, what it must be like to be God. As we learn from the bible, God sees everything. This means that God sees all evil, sin, pain, suffering… there is never a moment that God is not seeing suffering. See, we can make an effort to block out suffering from our lives; we can turn the TV set off or not read the paper if we choose. Unlike us, God never has a moment in which He turns away from the suffering that is constantly taking place. We also know from the bible that God hears everything. At all times, God hears those who are weeping and wailing, screaming out in pain. So again, I ask you to imagine what it must be like to be God. Now let us be careful not to question God when doing this, recall that God is perfect in all He does, so we should not think in such a way as , “if I was God I would take the pains away from the world.” Though God has promised this to us in Revelations 21:4, we are living in a time before this has come to pass and God’s timing is perfect. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelations 21:4)
Paul is a great example of someone who has endured much suffering. We can use his life as a testimony to all of us who are suffering. We have all had difficulties in our life; some greater than others, and this is why I am using Paul as a reference, for his life had sufferings that were greater than both yours and mine. Paul tells us about some of the hardships he faced in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27:
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”
Paul shows us that there is a way to suffer and have goodness come out of it. But we can also suffer in a way that causes us to become bitter and full of self-pity. When we do this we are opening the door for the devil to come in and try to draw us away from God. We shake our hand at God and, if we let it, turn against God because of suffering. We must realize that our suffering can be used for good. Do not lose sight of the fact that in every situation there is an opportunity for Jesus to do a work in you and through you. Some realize that God did not stay distant from us, He chose to come to us in the form of Man and He endured great suffering on this earth. Think of the most immense blessing that comes from the immense suffering Jesus experienced here on earth. Through Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice, we are saved. Understand that God could have saved us anyway He wanted, but He chose to send His Son. By the greatness of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice, the depth of His love for us, He took on the pains that are caused by our sins. He suffered for our sins so that God could do a work through Him.
Will your suffering compel you to love Jesus more? Will your suffering bring your primary focus onto the Gospel? Let your suffering be an opening of your heart to get to know Jesus better, to develop a deeper love for Him. Partnering with God in such as way as this will allow Him to accomplish something good in you. Peers will see you suffer, and they will see that Jesus is at work in you because you are suffering in a way that could not be apart from Jesus. I plead to you that you will not let your suffering be wasted. Your hardships should not be abandoned; your tears should not be in vain… they should be embraced as ways to grow closer to God. We display our true faith through our suffering. Make something out of your suffering, be a work for Christ.
*Part 2 coming soon! We will talk about how to approach suffering.
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