I. Praising God Through Suffering: All of creation suffers. People, animals, and even nature are damaged by the effects of sin. But God’s people differ from unbelievers in that they can continue to trust and praise God in the midst of suffering because they know he has a greater purpose. God is glorified through such faithfulness.
Hope Trumps Grief (Ruth 1:1–4:22): “Don’t call me Naomi. . . . Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.” (RUTH 1:20).
Naomi’s words fall heavy, laden with the burden of bereavement. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi did not hide her fear and sorrow. She thought the Lord had raised his fist against her (Ruth 1:13 “would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”), yet Naomi chose to follow God and honored him by giving her grief to him. Hope trumps grief just as eternal life triumphs over death. That’s the message Naomi embraced as she cuddled her newborn grandson at the end of the book of Ruth. When it seems like all is lost and you feel vulnerable, look to God for provision and protection.David’s Last Song (2 Samuel 22:1-51): “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior.” (2 SAMUEL 22:2). A young David sought safety and protection as he hid in caves and clefts of rock, waiting for God to fulfill his promises. He trusted that he would be king, in spite of the circumstances that belied the pronouncement (1 Samuel 16:13). But waiting is never easy. There were times when David cried out in angst and wrestled with the temptation to take matters into his own hands.
Are you waiting for God to fulfill a promise? Perhaps you’re tempted to manipulate or “help” God get things moving. As David learned, when our circumstances seem dire we can continue to praise God and look to him as our ultimate source of protection.
David’s last song in 2 Samuel 22 is of such importance that it is actually preserved in two places in the Bible—it is repeated almost verbatim as Psalm 18. In this song, an older David reflects back on God’s faithfulness to him throughout his life. He had gone from a boy guarding his father’s flocks to a mighty king leading the entire nation of Israel. All the while, he modeled faith in and submission to his majestic God. “I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. . . . He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters” (2 Samuel 22:4, 17).
David humbly acknowledged that the Lord was his source of strength and protection throughout his life. By this time, he had lost his mentor, Samuel the prophet; his best friend, Jonathan; and many loyal soldiers. But he could still lean on his Rock (2 Samuel 22:2-3, 32, 47). As a spiritual descendant of David, have you made a decision to trust in God, the Rock, for your salvation? He is available to all who seek him. In Psalm 34:1-22 – David lost his wife, his kingdom, and his good reputation, but he learned to praise God at all times.Exalting God Together (Psalm 34:2-3 “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together”): Life was never meant to be lived in isolation, and as believers we are called to walk alongside each other. Equally important, we are called to exalt God together. Until the Lord calls us home, each of us is an integral part of a team with one ultimate purpose: to bring glory to God.
Psalm 37:1-40 – Although we may suffer and the wicked seem to prosper, the Lord has not abandoned us. The Key to Happiness (Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”): The closer we grow in our relationship with God, the more the things of God will delight and please us. And as our own desires and pleasures come to reflect God’s desires and pleasures, we will find our deepest longings and yearnings fulfilled. This is the key to contentment, peace, and happiness in life.
Romans 8:18-25 – God promises his children that no amount of suffering will compare to the glory that will be revealed in eternity. The Ultimate Sacrifice of Stephen
The Ultimate Sacrifice of Stephen (2 Timothy 1:3-14): STEPHEN learned that doing the work of God—even in the power of God—didn’t make him immune to the savage attacks of liars bent on opposing the Kingdom of God. As he stood trial with his life on the line, Stephen chose to point his persecutors back to God and to remind the Jewish leaders of God’s faithfulness throughout the generations rather than to defend himself. Hatred had provided him an audience, and Stephen seized the moment to proclaim God’s goodness. Stephen’s personal pain and frustration took a backseat. But the people’s response was not the repentance for which Stephen hoped; instead, it was an immediate sentencing to death by stoning.
As stone after stone took its bloody toll on Stephen’s body, Saul, who was actively persecuting Christians, stood nearby. A short time later, after his dramatic conversion, Saul (later known as Paul) would experience his own suffering on behalf of our Savior (Acts 9:16). These two early Christ-followers learned that living in an atmosphere of hatred, suspicion, and fear did not mean that their lives could not glorify God. To the contrary, they shined brightest when surrounded by deepest darkness (Matthew 5:14-16).
When we trust God in the midst of pain, persecution, and death, people take notice
Things don’t need to make sense for God to be present and evident. When we trust God anyway—in the midst of pain, persecution, and even death—people take notice.
Throughout history and continuing to the present day, Christians everywhere have faced anger, evil, and injustice fueled by a mob mentality that seems to triumph over reason. Yet Stephen, the first martyr of the early church, died as he had lived, sacrificing for others and for his Savior. He pleaded for mercy—not for himself, but for the very ones who continued stoning him. As Paul endured suffering from behind bars, he assured his protégé, Timothy, that whatever the cost for proclaiming Jesus’ name, the Lord could be trusted.
II. Suffering and Spiritual Formation: Nothing in our lives is beyond the reach of God’s redemptive action, but he especially uses suffering for our sanctification—to make us holy. These readings describe some of the ways that God uses suffering for spiritual formation, transforming his people into the image of Jesus Christ, who suffered for us and our salvation.
(Psalm 22:1-31): This song begins with despair and ends with praise because God accompanies us in the depths of our suffering: a truth perfectly fulfilled and quoted by Jesus Christ while dying on the cross (Matthew 27:46-46).
(Isaiah 52:13–53:12) Suffering Servant: A Man of Sorrows”: The Suffering Servant (a prophecy of Jesus Christ) saves his people by dying in their place. This agony is undeserved, yet in God’s mysterious plan, it illustrates how God can use suffering for salvation. THE FIGURE OF THE SERVANT appears throughout the last several chapters of Isaiah and has been the subject of much discussion. Who is this Servant? At times the Servant is identified with Israel as a whole (Isaiah 41:8; 44:1; 49:3), but ancient Israel clearly failed to carry out the Servant’s mission to witness to God’s glory and shine light in the darkened pagan world. Elsewhere, the figure sounds like Isaiah himself (Isaiah 53:1), but Isaiah’s suffering never seems to have reached the level described in Isaiah 53. The Suffering Servant would reveal God in a paradoxical way: through suffering and humiliation, sacrificing his life to rescue the people of God.
Hundreds of years later, Jesus opened his public ministry with a sermon from Isaiah 58 and 61 (Luke 4:16-21), emphasizing that people affected by disabilities were at the center of his saving activity. Later, the New Testament writers clearly identified Jesus as the Suffering Servant, and they regarded many of the details in Isaiah as being specific prophecies about Jesus.
Jesus understands our experiences perfectly and completely
The Suffering Servant was described as appearing not in majesty but “despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He would bear our weaknesses and carry our sorrows. He would be pierced for our sin and rebellion, whipped and beaten for our healing. Our sin would be laid on him. His death would be undeserved—like a lamb led to slaughter without resistance. His body would be buried in a rich man’s grave. His death would (miraculously) produce a host of descendants, and he would be satisfied by the accomplishments of his anguish.
Every line of this prophecy fits the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. It is particularly meaningful to contemplate how the very Son of God identifies so deeply with suffering humanity. The figure described here is no stranger to alienation, abandonment, and anguish. As Hebrews says, Jesus Christ is our great High Priest who learned obedience and was made perfect through suffering, who understands perfectly what we experience (Hebrews 2:10-18; 4:15; 5:8-9). Every aspect of our experience of suffering is familiar to Jesus Christ, and he accompanies us in the midst of each painful moment.(John 15:18-27): In Jesus’ prayer for his disciples (both the twelve apostles and all who follow Jesus), he reminds us that the world hated him and will likewise persecute his disciples. The Holy Spirit will supply the strength and words to maintain a faithful testimony to Jesus in the midst of such persecution.
(Romans 5:1-5) Peace and Hope: Paul is clear that our experience of suffering for God need not be feared; on the contrary, it is a cause for rejoicing because suffering shapes and strengthens us, conforming us to the image of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 12:5-10): After describing the extent of his suffering in the service of Christ, Paul says that God refused to take away the thorn in his flesh, reminding Paul that God’s grace is sufficient. The Lord’s power is made perfect in our weakness and works more effectively through our sufferings.
(Hebrews 12:5-13): The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as the perfect high priest who is familiar with all of the human condition, including suffering, which is necessary for our salvation (Hebrews 2:10, 18; 4:15). In Hebrews 2:10, We Are Family Jesus is truly and fully God, but He is also a human being who suffered and died for all who believe. Because he condescended to take on flesh, He calls us His brothers and sisters. Through His suffering, our perfect leader cleared the path of salvation. As children of God, we experience discipline, which is painful but necessary in order to be made holy. Some suffering is to be expected as part of such growth in the Christian life. In Hebrews 12:11-13, the value of discipline Too often we see discipline as a negative thing. Discipline can be a consequence for wrongdoing, but it can also be part of God’s instruction. It may be hard at times, but the results are good. Do you view your suffering as part of God’s discipline and character development in your life? Trust that your heavenly Father administers all discipline with our best in mind. “For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12).
(1 Peter 4:12-19) Suffering for Being a Christian: Jesus suffered and was glorified. We also must submit to the same spiritual process in order to serve God. Suffering is the main theme of this letter, which urges Christians to rejoice in their suffering that is a result of being persecuted for following Jesus because it makes us partners with Christ in his suffering, a momentary pain that will pale in comparison with the glory to come. In 1 Peter 4:12-13, A blaze of glory is we often fail to realize that true partnership with Christ includes suffering. We shouldn’t react in shock when troubles knock on our door. Rather, we can welcome a trial as a friend and face the fiery ordeal knowing that as we share in Christ’s suffering, we also share in his glory (Romans 8:18-30).
III. Growing Spiritually Through Suffering: Although suffering is painful, it matures us and refines our character, making us into more effective servants. Patience in difficulties, empathy for the pain of others, and courage to reach out and offer assistance are all developed through the fires of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.
(Job 42:1-9) Ministry to Friends: God was displeased with Job’s three friends. They had not been right in what they said about him. God gave them the opportunity to repent of their actions and attitudes by sending them back to their friend Job to intercede on their behalf. This also gave Job the opportunity to personally forgive his friends for the way they had treated him, in the form of praying to God for their forgiveness. In performing this priestly service for his friends, Job pointed toward Jesus, our great Redeemer and Intercessor. Job was a faithful man, but he gained a new perspective on his faith through the process of losing everything.
My Eyes Have Seen You “I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” (JOB 42:5). Job had been listening to his three friends and their doctrine that all sinners suffer and all sufferers are sinners. But after hearing the voice of God, Job’s eyes were opened to the truth of God’s sovereignty and his need for repentance.
Job learned that the root of his problem was never with God or with others; it was his own lack of faith and his demand for an explanation from the Almighty. We, too, can struggle with the why? when trials come. We may not have done anything that directly caused our disability or suffering, but we may be sinning by questioning God’s justice in or during our afflictions. We are not equipped to handle what we view as undeserved suffering and injustice. All we can do is fall into God’s gracious, loving arms and trust him to redeem the situation.
God let Satan humble Job out of love, not cruelty. When Job finally gave up trying to defend and justify himself, God healed him. God poured blessings into Job’s life that could only come through a deeper relationship with him.
Like Job, once the scales fell from Paul’s eyes (Acts 9:18), he became a servant of Christ, one who received wonderful revelations from God. He understood the dangers of pride and that God sometimes goes to great lengths to make us more dependent on him. Paul explained, “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud” (2 Cor 12:7).
None of the prideful things to which we cling, even when we seem justified in doing so, will be worth the smallest portion of the glory and joy we will discover in our eternal relationship with God. Let us pray that our eyes will be opened to all that God wants to show us!(Psalm 40:1-17): “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods” (Psalm 40:3-4). It’s About Others! Our suffering and struggles, and God’s rescue of us, are often as much about others as about ourselves. God wants to draw all people to himself (John 12:32; 2 Pet 3:9), and he will use all sorts of means — including our own difficulties — to do so. God hears our cries, and he will redeem our struggles in his timing and in such a way that he will be glorified.
Hope in the Midst of Trials (Romans 5:1-11): “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God.” (ROMANS 5:1). Paul begins Romans 5 with the presupposition that we have peace with God. This is not a simplistic assertion by Paul. He has taken four chapters to explain both the need for being right with God (Romans 1:18–3:20) and the way to get right with God (Romans 3:21–4:25). Having carefully built his argument, Paul has arrived at the settled conclusion that peace with God is a reality.
Getting right with God, according to Paul, is based on faith—the kind of faith that Abraham, the father of faith, demonstrated (4:3). It is not based on the law or perfect behavior or perfect bodies. There are no qualifications, exceptions, or exemptions here—no matter how much we might feel that somehow we are the exceptions to the rule. We think, Surely God wouldn’t accept me. We reprimand ourselves for our failures and our imperfectly functioning bodies. We think that if only we did not fail God in our heads, our hearts, and our whole physical being, we could find peace with God.
But that is not what Paul writes. Since we have been made right with God—no exceptions—we already have peace with God. Moreover, we have this peace because of our faith and what Jesus did for us. It had nothing to do with our heads or our hearts or our bodies in the first place. If this is true—and it is—what are we to do with our agonizing, unrelenting pain? Does the peace we have with God make the circumstances of our lives simply vanish? Certainly not. We can simultaneously have pain and peace.
Christ experienced pain and suffering in order to reconcile us to God. Not because we were perfect, but because we were broken. Christ died for us—imperfect though we are. God saw our intense suffering and entered into it with us. Because of this, we have the assurance that even in the midst of trials we have peace with God.
Problems and trials develop our endurance. We can rest assured that regardless of our circumstances, we have peace with God and he will strengthen us as we remain faithful.Endurance Builds Character: “through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” (Romans 5:2-3). Perhaps you have heard that in order to build muscle you must first break it down or have experienced the truth of that in the painful process of physical therapy or recovery from a strenuous workout. Here, Paul is giving us a workout regimen for building character, and it begins by enduring problems and trials. Paul tells us that our character is strengthened when we faithfully endure painful, difficult times. As we persevere through trials, we are better able to understand that God is with us and that he can be trusted.
(James 1:2-18): When we suffer, we can ask God for wisdom to endure, and he will give it. Our Faithful Father: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”) (James 1:15).
Our Faithful Father God’s goodness is revealed in his creation — from the stars that glimmer on clear, cloudless nights to roses that sprout colorful new blooms in season. But while the stars eventually burn out and roses must be handled with care, we can trust completely in God’s goodness and the fact that he will never change. As his prized possession, we must never let the evil one or difficult circumstances convince us otherwise.(James 5:10-11): “For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” God provides numerous examples of patient endurance throughout Scripture to help us know that what we face is not new, that we are not alone, and that he rewards those who remain faithful.
(2 Corinthians 12:5-10) Sometimes God will choose to heal us or eliminate our burden, but God may also choose to work in and through our weaknesses and suffering to reveal his strength. Faith and Healing “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 CORINTHIANS 12:9). The intersection of faith and healing has often been misunderstood. A young man once told his pastor, “I remember my father saying he would not allow a healing service for my brother. I know he’s a Christian, but I don’t understand why he said such a thing.” While this father loved God and trusted him with his whole life, he had probably seen the damage that can be done by holding on to the idea that disabilities result from a lack of faith. While he desperately wanted his son to be well, he trusted God to do what was best. He may also have been trying to protect his family from the harm of religious groups that practice abusive “exorcisms.”
In the Gospels, Christ healed people who had great faith and those who had little or no faith, but regardless of how much faith a person had, Jesus chose not to heal everyone. Sometimes God is glorified through a miraculous healing in our lives (John 9:1-7). Other times, his glory, grace, and power are displayed through our infirmities and weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Every believer will experience permanent release from sickness, disability, pain, and suffering (1 Cor 15:43, 54), but the timing and the means of that healing are in God’s hands—whether here on earth or in heaven (Isa 35:5-6). God’s desire is for each person to know and follow him, to become a part of his eternal family. Sometimes God uses incredible acts of healing to draw us close to him. Other times God uses the circumstances in our lives—illnesses, disabilities, relationships—to teach us, draw us close, and transform us into the people he made us to be for eternity. As Paul wrote: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
While praying for healing is always an act of faith (James 5:14), it should remind us to also watch for the works of God in our lives that come as a result of our weakness.
8.The Experience of Disability: Clearly this passage indicates that Paul understood the experience of disability. Three times he “begged the Lord to take it away” (2 Corinthians 12:8 ). God said no, and instead called Paul to rely on his grace. God’s grace didn’t prevent the social consequences of his “thorn” (2 Corinthians 12:7) from affecting Paul’s life. As if weaknesses were not enough, Paul also faced insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles — all suffered for Christ. What he learned, and what we must also understand, is “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
- (Revelation 21:1-7) Everything New: The vision of our promised redemption takes our breath away — a new heaven and a new earth without death, pain, suffering, or sadness where God dwells with his people. How will our new bodies work? We are not given many details. But John is clear that the crucified and risen Lamb, the Beginning and the End, is the one making all things new. We should put our trust in him. The New Heaven and Earth Then I saw a new We must keep our eyes fixed on the promise that one day God will wipe away every tear caused by suffering from our eyes and all things will be made new.