Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God(2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Have you ever watched the news and asked yourself, “Why does Jesus allow tragedies to occur in the world?” Wars and rumors of wars abound, tragedy begets tragedy, and there appears no end in sight.
Recently I have found myself asking why Jesus doesn’t stop the suffering of children. These questions are deep and heart-wrenching, and there are no easy answers.
The question of suffering is one of the most complex theological questions we can wrestle. In one respect, suffering seems to run counter to everything we believe. We believe that Jesus is Lord of all heaven and earth and that he has the whole world in his hands.
We claim the Spirit’s power within us that can do “infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Yet, these truths sometimes appear elusive. We wrestle with sin and evil. The nightly news continuously reminds us that we are fallen people living in a fallen world.
Of course, suffering isn’t just about the global conflicts we see reported. Suffering also touches our individual lives.
When this happens, we may find ourselves struggling with uncomfortable questions. “Has God abandoned me?” or “Am I being punished for my sin?” We may even feel our suffering indicates a lack of divine blessing.
What is the faithful response to suffering? Does suffering equal punishment, or is it a natural part of our lives? More importantly, where is Christ during our suffering?
If you have ever gone through a time of suffering in your life, or if you are going through one now, here are three things to consider.
1. Be Honest
We are never asked to minimize our life experiences, good or bad. Trying to rationalize our suffering so that it “makes sense” is unfruitful. Any rationalization of suffering will always lead to error or misjudgment.
The hard truth of our lives is that sometimes life zigs when we want it to zag. We live in a world that itself groans in longing for redemption (Romans 8:19). Without warning, provocation, or reason, life sometimes presses hard against us.
Rationalizing our suffering often leads to self-condemnation because we often place the blame securely within ourselves. We believe that God is out to get us or has abandoned us. But this is not true.
God does not hurl lightning bolts of misfortune on us. What is more, God knows the suffering that we are going through, so there is no need to hide it, rationalize it, or explain it away.
In fact, the psalms and lamentations of Scripture urge us to articulate our sufferings as an act of faith. God encourages us to yell and scream and beg for redemption. The scriptures give us a license to express our confusion and our hurt.
Rest assured, the Lord is big enough to bear our questions, the faithful response to suffering, therefore, is not some pietistic slogan like “tough times don’t last but tough people do!”
Instead, we are invited to say with the Psalmist, “Oh God do not keep silent! Be not quiet O God, be not still!” (Psalm 83:1).
In faith, we can implore God to act against the forces of evil, even asking the Lord to “pursue them with your tempest and terrify your enemies O lord” (Psalm 83:15).
For those who fear that it is unfaithful to articulate our sufferings, the Books of Job, Psalms, and Lamentations are a comfort.
These books give voice to the full gamut of human emotion, and in doing so, invite us to lay our emotions and experiences before the Lord.
Thus, when the suffering of life hits too close to home, we can emulate the prophets, psalmists, and disciples, and cry out to God in full and robust honesty.
2. Cling to Hope
Being honest about suffering doesn’t mean we forget God’s promises. In fact, if you ask the question “Where is God during our suffering?” the answer is gloriously simple: God is with us. This is the gospel truth revealed in Jesus.
Ultimately, Christ’s presence reminds us that God’s kingdom reigns supreme. Christ defeated the power of sin and death, thus ensuring that suffering never has the final word. In the end, every instance of evil, every moment of suffering, every wrongdoing and sin will be held to account.
Those who cry will be healed; those who have received loss will find themselves restored, and those who have been hurt will be vindicated. This is what John observes as he peers into the heavenly realm.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:4-5).
This is the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Of course, no one can definitively say how all this will work out, and sadly it may not occur in our physical lifetime. But this doesn’t discount God’s promises.
In faith, we can cling to the hope of the gospel and the Lordship of Jesus. We can have hope during suffering because we know that Christ's presence and power are never vanquished. Ultimately, God’s purposes in our lives, and in the world, will prevail.
3. Invite Jesus into Your Suffering
While the presence of Jesus may not make the sufferings of our lives miraculously disappear, we are comforted in knowing that we do not tackle such times alone. Jesus takes this journey with us. The one who cried at the graveside of Lazarus lends his tears to our own.
The one who went to the cross understands the scars of our lives. Scripture reminds us that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is familiar with how the ugliness of life can crash into us.
This means that in those times when we wrestle with the suffering of life, whether externally or internally, we can invite Jesus into our experience. We can ask for his presence to guide us and strengthen us.
In faith, we can reach out to the Lord who knows what it is like to walk the difficult path. And when we invite Jesus into our suffering, he responds. He has shown himself to be trustworthy and true.
In times of suffering, we can approach the throne of grace with the confidence that we will receive help in our time of need. When words do not help, his Spirit groans for us.
Jesus gives us strength in the places where we need strength. He gives peace when everything around us seems chaotic. Jesus gives us the space, the right, and in the Psalms, he gives us the words needed to cry out to him.
We invite Jesus into suffering because we know by faith that he is big enough to bear our hurts and to listen to our cries. This may not stop things from hurting.
It might not stop the disease, or silence the heartache, but the Lord will uphold us, support us, and surround us in grace. In his presence, there is comfort and healing.
For further reading:
Does God Make Sense in a World Full of Suffering?
Does Jesus Understand Our Suffering?
How Should Christians Respond to Suffering?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Roadtripwithraj
