Why God Why?
This is a one of the common response of all people in times of their suffering & hardships. Whether believer or non believer, all of us tend to ask God why we have to endure all these sufferings, bear pain or go through all these troubles. There is no doubt that the suffering caused by our own acts of Sins or disobedience towards God is harmful to us but when we are faithful and honest towards our God, the same suffering can bring favorable results and can really take our lives to new realms of spiritual closeness with our almighty God. As Psalmist says in Psalms 119:50 “Even in my suffering I was comforted because your promise gave me life”, lets try to grasp some positive outcomes of suffering or hardships in our lives.
Suffering can turn us into Humble, Enduring & God seeking Character. As Bible tells us about Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33:12 “In his suffering he became humble, turned to the LORD his God, and begged him for help.”, Sometimes God’s direct reply to our disobedience and lack of trust on Him is a small period of suffering, shame and disgrace in our lives which sometimes helps us to humble ourselves more in the presence of God and re-establish our broken relationship with God. Suffering of any form to faithful children of God, is a means of shedding one’s own self righteous image as it says in Job 33:19 “God corrects us by sending sickness and filling our bodies with pain.”, We must understand that suffering intends to Make us and not Break us.
Suffering teaches us how to respond to other’s suffering and pain. When a faithful Christian goes through the times of suffering, loneliness & rejection in his/her life, it teaches him/her how to respond appropriately to other’s suffering. As per me this is one of the least learned aspects of suffering in today’s Christian circle. We can pray for those who don’t have job, who are sick, who are homeless or who are lonely but we cannot intercede and cry for them in presence of God until and unless we know somewhat the same pain and burden that they are going through. Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:4 “He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.”, we can lend the same love and care to those who are suffering as we have received from God in our times of trouble. In reality, Suffering transforms us into good human beings by making us more sensitive to other’s suffering & pain. There is no room for hypocrisy when a Christian who endured suffering and troubles in his/her own life consoles a troubled soul in his/her own vicinity.
Believe it or not, Suffering is a guarantee for a beautiful and a blessed future. Bible says in Romans 8:17 “Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.”. This is one of most wonderful promises ever mentioned in Bible, our suffering makes us copartner with Christ’s Glory and inheritance which is not of this earth but is everlasting. Suffering makes eligible to enjoy the eternal inheritance God has kept for us. Consider Deuteronomy 8:16 “… He sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end he could bless you with good things.” A lesser known Japanese poet Masahide once said, “My Barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the Moon.”. We can be assured of our eternal inheritance in heaven when we score well in our testing times on earth.
My dear comrades in Christ, Enemy brings trials & sufferings in our lives to harm us but God can turn those sufferings and trials for our good (Romans 8:28). As Bible puts it, the greatest example of this is the crucification of Christ. Satan intended the death of Christ as a defeat for God but God turned it out to be the salvation for all mankind.(1 Peter 2:21-24). Let me close with thought provoking words of Francis de Sales “Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne well those laid on you; it is an abuse to long after martyrdom while unable to bear an insult patiently.”
May God help all of us to endure all our troubles, hardships & difficulties patiently and makes us a worthy servants of God (2Corinthians 6:4)
God Bless You.
