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Though we cannot comprehend all the ramifications of suffering, I believe the Bible furnishes reasonable answers to our questions.
One particular reason is found in Philippians 1: 29: For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
In II Timothy 3: 12, the Bible says, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Based on the Word of God, suffering is a part of God's divine plan for the believer.
Even though it is wonderful to know scriptures of this kind, they are merely information unless we understand and apply them to our lives.
We must comprehend early in our Christian walk that to whom it is given to believe in Christ, it is also given to suffer for Him.
Romans 8:17 says, Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
The word heir is defined as "a person who inherits or is legally entitled to inherit.
" So the text implies that if we as believers want to be inheritors, beneficiaries or recipients of the promises of God, we must have fellowship with God through pain, affliction, adversity and hardship-all of which are included in suffering.
I recognize that it is not natural for people to see profit in suffering.
In fact the opposite is true; mankind staggers over it.
Our human nature considers suffering a tragedy, a setback, a hindrance to progress, something that prevents us from moving forward in the blessing of Christ.
As a result, most Christians think of suffering as something we should avoid at all costs.
But Jesus expects us to choose to suffer with Him.
To suffer for the sake of Christ is a high honor conferred upon believers.
The secular definition of the word "suffer" means to undergo or feel pain or distress; to sustain injury, disadvantage or loss; to endure or be afflicted by something temporarily or chronically.
The Christian view of the word has been enlarged to refer not only to physical pain or distress--but also to the way we identify ourselves with Christ and His righteousness.
II Timothy 2:12 says, If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.
When unexpected suffering comes our way, we have a choice.
We can choose it or reject it.
In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (NKJV).
Suffering then is a path to which we must willingly submit.
And when we do so, we determine by God's grace to live righteously, knowing that it will ultimately bless us and bring glory to God.
Because you are a child of God through relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, you will share in the fellowship of His suffering.
No matter how holy you are, how often you pray or read the Word of God or how long you have been saved you will participate in suffering of one kind or another.
Suffering is perplexing, even somewhat mysterious.
We may know some of the theological reasons for suffering from Scripture, yet when it hits us, there is still a certain mystery.
Why now? Why me? What is God doing? What did I do to deserve this? No matter what hits us, when we suffer we often feel victimized because suffering is unsolicited, unwanted and uninvited.
No believer ever wakes up and prays, "Dear Lord, I want to suffer today.
" We bear suffering only because it will not go away and because, we rarely if ever, understand the reason behind it.
The problem of suffering is complex in that its entire scope cannot be fully understood or explained.
And it is even more perplexing when we personally face its reality.
Although suffering is perplexing, we as believers should not be surprised when it comes our way.
Instead of greeting suffering as an unwelcome visitor, we should expect it to come.
Just like blessings, suffering will be a constant companion in the life of a believer.
Suffering for Christ's sake is the will of God.
We must believe that even as it was the Father's will for Christ to suffer for our sins, so it is His will that we suffer as we identify with Christ.
Suffering is often mind-boggling as it comes in various forms, and each one has to be dealt with as if for the first time.
Any pain whether it be physical or emotional can be considered suffering.
And only you can determine what suffering means for you personally.
It may be physical or relational pain, mental anguish, loneliness, the loss of a loved one or one's reputation, betrayal by a friend, financial reversal, family conflict, terminal illness, feeling trapped in a distasteful job, or being lied to or unfairly treated, to say nothing of being beaten, mentally abused or discredited.
It can come disguised as marital discord, sickness, financial calamity, hardship from personal attacks, or even difficulty in the church.
It can involve the loss of property, health, or dignity; the slander, deceit, or evil actions of an enemy; abandonment by a friend; and worst of all, the disappointment, disgust, and shame of our own personal failures.
Suffering can include deep humiliation, a serious disappointment, and the list goes on.
What may cause me to suffer may not faze you.
What may drop you to your knees I may not even notice.
In order to understand my definition of suffering you would have to walk in my shoes.
But regardless of what kind of suffering we face, when we suffer for Christ's sake it hurts because in and of itself, suffering holds no pleasure.
We experience pain we want to do without; we are hurt with a hurt we would rather not feel; we experience trials we badly want to avoid; and we cry tears we do not want to shed.
Suffering hurts.
Suffering does not discriminate, it does not distinguish, it does not classify or single out, and it does not show favoritism.
Suffering is an equal opportunity employer.
It is always looking to hire.
There is no way to avoid it.
In fact, if you are a follower of Christ you should expect it.
Most of the time, suffering only makes sense in hindsight.
Though painful and perplexing, if you respond right it will bring you closer to God.
Apostle Paul had no explanation for his suffering; however, he found in his suffering a deeper sense of intimacy and fellowship with His Lord.
Philippians 3:10 says, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (NIV).
In Colossians 1:24, Paul says, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions (NASB).
Unlike Paul, some Christians do not rejoice in suffering-instead they grow angry.
Suffering has a tendency to make you feel angry with whomever we think is the source of our pain.
Perhaps this is why so many Christians first become angry with God when they suffer.
They believe He is the source of their problems.
But you will never gain the lesson hidden in your pain if you blame the very person who wants to deliver you.
I remember one night in particular, my loneliness and desperation were just too much for me.
I could not take it anymore.
I remember crying out to the Lord that night, "God, why? How could you allow this to happen to me? Can't you see how angry I am? Don't you care about how I'm hurting inside? Why are you doing this to me? Why are you refusing me the one thing I need to make my life complete? Lord, if you are not going to honor my request, then why won't you take away this desire so that I can go on with my life?" I remember looking up and shouting, "I'm mad at you, God.
This is not fair!" That night I came very close to turning my back on the One who cared most.
I wish I could tell you that the answer to my cry was immediate and that the next day I was on my way serving the Lord at my highest level, but it didn't happen that way.
However, I can say that God overlooked my temper tantrum and saw it for what it was--the heart cry of a bruised spirit, a spirit that was eaten up by intense pain.
But thank God that His Word says, A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out...
and The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Matthew 12:20; Psalm 51:17 NIV).
If anyone ever had a right to cry out to God that life is unfair, it was Jesus.
He lived a sinless life.
The gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) all say He healed people and showed compassion to the outcasts.
He taught the truth about God and pointed out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day.
For this He was hated, arrested, mocked, beaten and killed in the cruelest way devised by man at that time.
His enemies could not find any true accusations to bring against Him so they made up a lie, and Jesus was executed as a criminal.
And nowhere in the Bible do we see Jesus blaming His Father for His hardship.
He felt forsaken and abandoned.
He felt deserted and isolated, but never did he feel that His father was treating Him unjustly.
Just like Jesus, no Christian gets though life without suffering.
Suffering is a tricky enemy; it sneaks up on us when everything is fine and we are not prepared for it.
However, suffering is included among "all things" God works together for His glory and our good.
(See Romans 8:28.
) Suffering should not be perceived simply as pain but as a privilege.
(See Philippians 1:29.
) Seeing suffering from Peter's perspective should transform our attitude toward this aspect of our identification with Christ and His cross.
It should help us entrust our souls to a faithful Creator.
Jesus entrusted His soul (or spirit) to God.
First Peter 2:23 says, And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting [Himself] to Him who judges righteously.
Luke 23:46 reads: And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (NASB).
Paul entrusted his soul to Christ.
In II Timothy1:12, Paul said, For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (NASB).
Likewise, we are also to commit and entrust our souls to a "faithful Creator.
" In recent years, it has been important for me to study the lives of others, both in Scripture and in church history, to learn what helped them persevere in perplexing times.
In I Peter we see the suffering of cruel treatment we may endure at the hand of superiors to whom we submit ourselves (vv 2:13-25).
There is the suffering of speech--of slander and reviling (vv.
2:12, 23; 4:14).
In Hebrews, we see the suffering of imprisonment and seizure of property (vv.
10:32-34).
In Genesis chapters 37, and 39 to 45, Joseph suffered because of the jealous actions of his brothers.
In Job's case, suffering came in the form of natural calamities, human sin and cruelty, and physical infirmities.
(See Job 1 and 2.
) The amazing thing is that they were all bewildered and perplexed by their trouble, but there was purpose in their sufferings.
At a critical and decisive time in my life, I had to make a choice to fight and deny the pain and lose all God wanted to teach me through my suffering, or walk straight through it and let God speak to me in the midst of it.
Since I could not change what was happening I made a choice to walk in faith.
I did not want to bring attention to my trial, so in public, I always acted (yes, acted) as if everything was okay.
I responded this way for two reasons: First, I did not want people to know my predicament, and second, I wanted God to be pleased with my attitude during the dark seasons of my life.
I had witnessed many suffering Christians bring attention to themselves (acting sad and pitiful; looking depressed and angry) in hopes of gaining sympathy and pity from others.
I wanted to avoid this type of behavior.
What we get from people can make us forfeit what we could have received from God, which is more valuable by far.
That is why it is very important that we watch our hunger for human sympathy when God is working out His plan, through suffering, in our lives.
The fact that we belong to God means that we will experience unjust and unwarranted pain in our lives.
As much as we would like to avoid it, there is something about suffering that makes us stronger, makes us grow deeper in our faith, and opens us up to possibilities that may not have been available had we not suffered.
Suffering is inevitable.
It is a constant companion in the life of a believer.
Jesus never promised our lives would be easy ones.
He did, however, promise that He would always be with us; every step of the way.
.
.
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Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).
God will always do things in our lives that we do not understand.
Sometimes it will seem as if there is no point to our suffering.
However, we must know God always has a purpose-whether we understand it or not.
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