So who would like to suffer? I don’t think any of us long to suffer and neither did Job. Yet, the Lord allowed him to lose everything in order to test and prove this man a faithful believer. Imagine losing your wealth, servants, children and even your health. Even in all this, Job did not curse God and die as his wife had suggested to him. He had questions of God as to why he had to go through this time of loss and grief. On top of it, his friends were of little help to him but to heap condemnation on his head. However, as believers, we are not promised a life without tribulation, suffering or grief.
Lamentations 3:31-33 tells us “For men are not cast off by the LORD forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” So how are we to understand what the writer is saying? Yes, God’s children do suffer, but it is not without meaning. He has a purpose for everything that He allows into our lives. We may not be able to figure it out any better than Job. In fact, the best example for us is our Savior Himself.
In the book of Hebrews 5:7-9, the writer tells us this about our Lord Jesus: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him”. What words of comfort! Jesus pleaded with the Father to let the cup pass Him by, but He went on to pray that if it was God’s will, He would yield Himself to it completely. His suffering made our salvation possible. This is why Jesus is the perfect High Priest for us. He understands our suffering and our pain. Isaiah 53:10 tells us “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.”
Our viewpoint on suffering and grief needs to change; for if Christ suffered and died so that we might be forgiven of our sins, we can see that God brought good out of the cruel cross. Therefore, our suffering and grief has a purpose too. We may not be able to see it at the time, but we can know that God is working in us for His glory and our good.
Over the course of my life, I have met many people that have suffered with chronic illness, disability and loss. Those who had faith in Christ blossomed despite their earthly trials. In fact, it seemed to deepen their trust and obedience to the Lord. We often forget that the Lord is molding us into the likeness of His Son, and this means, we will have to go through His refining fire at times. Our sharp edges need to be smoothed out which is often a painful process. My mother always remarked to me that pain can either make you better or bitter. I choose to be better rather than bitter, don’t you? This is when I turn to the book of James and read chapter 1: 2-4: “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”
This is the high calling to which the Lord has called each of us. We are to grow in Him and there will be times when he uses grief and suffering in order to round off our rough edges. Let us allow the Spirit to work in us so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ even if it means we must walk through the hard places. Remember, the Lord is our Shepherd and He goes with us through all the valleys. Selah!
