Skip to main content

On the Purposes of God in Suffering

Image
By
Some years ago, while going through a difficult time of life, I bowed before the Lord and begged him to get me out of the situation. The prayer session literally lasted for about two hours. Near the end of that time, I sensed the Lord's loving reply, by his Spirit, "Charlie, I don't want to get you out of this, I want to develop you in this." I felt a deep peace wash over me at that moment because I knew that my Father was with me, and that's all I really needed to know. The circumstances remained the same, but with the Lord at my side my attitude did not. 

As I moved on with my life, I thought it might be good to conduct a fairly thorough New Testament (NT) Bible study on the subject of suffering, and my mentor at the time, Tom Brindley, agreed and encouraged me to do so. I was surprised by what I found. First, I discovered over 60 passages from the NT that touch upon the subject, some of which are one or more chapters long. The Lord has much to say about suffering! 

Second, I quickly discerned, and slowly learned, that the Lord is neither cruel nor arbitrary nor out of control when it comes to suffering of various sorts, but rather that he has particular purposes in mind which he brings about through suffering. Suffering is, in fact, one of his most powerful and effective tools. Sometimes, of course, the Lord hears our cries and delivers us from trials, persecutions, sufferings, and the like. Take, for example, the many healing stories in the gospels and the book of Acts (e.g., Matthew 4:23-25, 8:14-17, 10:7-8, 15:21-31, 17:14-21, Mark 5:21-43, Luke 14:1-6, Acts 3:1-10 and 28:7-10). But more often than not, it seems, he desires to shape us into his image through these things for the glory of his name. 

Third, I discerned four reasons why we suffer: (1) We live in a fallen world, marred by sin, and thus we must endure earthquakes, hurricanes, disease, death, and the like. (2) We sin and pay the price for our sin. (3) Others sin and we pay the price for their sin. (4) We suffer in the course of exalting the glorious name of Jesus Christ in the world. I'll say more about this in the coming months on this blog, but for now let me just say that the Lord does have particular purposes in mind for each of these "sources" of suffering. 

In my study, I didn't attempt to understand or address the more general problem of evil, that is, how can evil exist if God is perfectly holy and good? This question is above my pay grade, and besides, at the time I didn't need theoretical answers to perplexing ontological questions, rather, I needed "on the ground" wisdom for understanding, enduring, and growing through the trials in my life. And the Lord did graciously reveal much wisdom to me that helped me endure then, and helps me endure now. 

So over the next...who knows how long...I plan to share the details of my study on this blog. My notes are organized by text, so I will just post my thoughts on this or that passage of Scripture and then at the end I'll post a few concluding thoughts. I hope and pray that the Lord will use this series of posts in your lives as powerfully as he did in mine.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Worship Songs, October 15, 2017

By
We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. My Redeemers Love Hope Has Come I Will Glory In My Redeemer Blessed Be Your Name Here In Your Presence Your Glory Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) -- Sermon Text: John 11:1-16 That the next generation will set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7).
Post a Comment
Read more

God Displays His Beauty While Lifting Heavy Burdens by Pastor Kevin

By
I know I am a little bit overweight. My doctor tells me so. The mirror that I look into affirms it and the scale (that I mostly avoid) reminds me every time I step on it. All of that makes what I am about to say so much more impressive. I had the privilege of sitting on the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast for 8 days on our most recent family trip. For me there is something magical about the beach, especially on the Atlantic side with the waves washing up against the shoreline. We have been lucky enough to find a sleepy beach town to vacation at. A nook, if you will, that typically features retired folks or families with kids. Out of the way of those who want to party, the beach is truly a relaxing place for me.  Let me tell you something that I gleaned this time around that never quite landed on me. This last week it landed on me, almost literally. My son Ben and I are the more adventurous specimens in the Feder five. We actually get into the salty water where there are jelly f...
2 comments
Read more

We Will Feast in the House of Zion by Patience Griswold

By Anonymous
No one ever plans to have their lives upended. We know that the world is broken and bound in futility, we know that everything can change in an instant, and yet crises still have the ability to shake us to our core. None of us entered 2020 planning to experience a global pandemic this year, but here we are, practicing social distancing, wondering how the virus will affect us and our families, and wondering when we will be able to return to our regular rhythms and routines as what can feel a little like the world falling apart around us.  In the midst of social distancing, I miss my church family. I miss my Bible study, the kids in my Sunday school class, the ability to meet people for coffee, and I know that I am not alone in this. It is not wrong to grieve the temporary loss of these things. In fact, we ought to grieve, even as we seek to live joyfully and find satisfaction in Christ in the midst of difficult circumstances. If we feel no grief whatsoever over the loss of some...
1 comment
Read more