Trust and suffering examined
Day 33
by Gini Crawford, MSW
God's love overcame suffering
Trusting God at times is easier said than done, isn't it? A friend of mine experienced the unimaginable, her son died from a drug overdose. The pain and grief she carries have made it incredibly difficult for her to trust in God. I think it is important to talk about how we can wrestle with trusting God. This is because some trials cause great suffering and God is sovereign over everything, including what happens to us, so this makes us think and feel some of God's decisions are unloving. Do you find it hard to trust God loves you because of some happenings in your life?
Does God really want us to suffer? Thinking of the first few chapters of Genesis, it's clear God never wanted us to suffer. Jesus even wept because people were suffering (John 11:33-35). Furthermore, God's love caused Him to suffer for us, taking away our eternal suffering in hell. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 speaks of how our present suffering, though painful, has an eternal reward beyond human parallel because of Jesus' suffering (Romans 8:18). What do we gain by suffering as Christians?
As I wrote this day, a merciless terrorist group, Hamas, attacked the Israelis. They attacked events and homes to capture or kill. This is one story I heard: A mother and father realized what was happening and quickly put their two babies in a back safe room. The parents were determined to save their twins, so they stayed in the front of the house to fight. The parents were found dead hours later by an Israeli rescue group. The twins were miraculously alive. Did love propel the parents to sacrifice to save their kids? Yes, of course. We are God's children. He sacrificed His own Son's life, so we could have life as well as life eternal without suffering. Did love propel God to save us? You know the answer.
Our world is held in sin
Let me share a few ideas that might give you insight about "why suffering":
Remember, God did not create us for pain and suffering but for fellowship with Him as well as joy and pleasure. It is obvious that sin brought suffering into the world. There was no bad health, murder, betrayal, conflict, scarcity and so on in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:26–2:25, 3:1-19, 4:1-16).
At Creation God set up the laws of Physics to govern our world. Unfortunately, when the law of cause and effect was burdened with sin, awful effects started happening, such as hurricanes, blizzards, floods, earthquakes, etc. Can He stop any law He chose to create? Yes. However our survival depends on the laws of Physics functioning. Just think of the law of gravity.
Every sin, either ours or someone else's, affects us and everyone. Quite a bit of our suffering is caused by others sinning: A neighbor telling lies about you makes people avoid you. A homeless guy started a city on fire. A guy gave fentanyl to my friend's son so he overdosed. Yes, God could stop that person from hurting you, but where would He draw the line in stopping people's free will? If He had not given Adam and Eve a free will, you would not have one either. I believe God does stop a lot of disastrous things from happening to us: A father miraculously saved his wife and kids by becoming a human shield at their door during a terrorist attack and lived. My three kids were walking ahead of me when I saw a drunk driver miss them by inches. I could go on. The effects of sin have just kept mushrooming since Genesis chapter three, and cause physical, psychological, societal, environmental and spiritual problems and struggles.
Life Application
The good from trials
God knew evil would wrap its tentacles around the world, but because of His love and sovereignty, good still triumphs (James 1:16-17). God takes our suffering and uses it for good in our lives and other's lives. A situation that is so awful for us may have a very good result for many others, such as a Marine dying for our country's freedom. A good example of this in the Bible is the story of Joseph in Genesis - the evil done to Joseph, God used for the good of millions of people.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. / And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28 ESV®
God is working for the good of those who love Him but also for the world; to bring people to Him. (John 3:16). So when trials happen, and they do often, trust in that promise. Pray for God's eternal good to be shown and done in your trials or the trials of others. What tangible good have you seen through trials?
God's decisions aren't made by some wild man, but are made through the understanding and wisdom that created you and loves you. His decisions are made from an eternal perspective, not from a human perspective. He knows what trials will refine and strengthen your faith, and bring the best eternal good for you. Paul who suffered a lot for his Christian faith (2 Corinthians 11:23-29), and had a godly attitude about his suffering explains in 2 Corinthians 4:16-16, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
God has never asked you to do something He has not done. Jesus suffered and trusted His Father through it all, as 1 Peter 2:21-25 says, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin ... when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." So when we suffer, and we do, let's follow Jesus' example and trust ourselves to God. Read Psalm 22:1-18; Isaiah 53; Matthew 27:27-50 also think of how much Jesus suffered in the Gospels. Share insights about Jesus' suffering from these passages.
Jesus never asks you to suffer alone. When I think about the hard days I’ve had in the past, I can see that Jesus helped me through each and every one. Yet, when a new problem comes up, I sometimes wonder if Jesus will really help me this time. Can you relate? We need to remember, just as gold is refined by fire, so our faith is refined by trials—to prove that it is genuine (1 Peter 1:6-8). In the midst of our adversity, Jesus is there. Read Psalm 23; Daniel 3:16-25; Matthews 28:20; Romans 8:26-28, 31-39. Also the Holy Spirit lives within you. Share some insights about Jesus being with you in trials.
We inhabit a fallen world, where even the laws of physics scream disorder, relationships seem to gravitate to disharmony, unrest and conflicts surround the globe, the best of our plans can unravel and so on. Only an unwavering trust in Jesus Christ can give you a divine strength to navigate the world around you. On a scale one to ten (ten being the strongest) how fervent is your trust in Jesus?
Reflect on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.