Suffering with Purpose

We live in a world that is tainted by sin. Its effects are spread wide and penetrate deep into our entire existence. Unfortunately, one of the effects of sin is suffering and pain. One of the unavoidable constants in human existence…is suffering. It is as natural as birth and as common as death. Suffering is not a one size fits all situation though, it is normative in the human experience, but each of us experiences suffering differently. For some, it is short yet painful, for others, it is long and drawn out, yet bearable. There are even those who get the worst side of both coins and feel like they have nowhere to turn.

I do not want to try and provide a reason for suffering; there is a time and place for that. I do want to look at four observations I have on the issue of suffering. These points have been encouraging to me in times of hopelessness and pain; I hope they can serve others as well.

Suffering is Painful

I know…very profound and life-changing. The reason I bring up the obvious is that often times we try to trick ourselves into thinking that it’s not painful! We pretend that we are not hurt, in need, or desiring relief. I find that many Christians believe that suffering is wrong. There is this unspoken rule in Evangelical Christianity that suffering equals weak faith. Suffering is associated with a lack of trust or disbelief in the all-providing God. I pray such foolishness never leaves the mouths of our preachers or poisons our congregations.

The problem arises when people do not acknowledge suffering as real or painful. Feelings and emotions are swept under the rug, and people wonder why they cannot find healing or restoration. They have been told for years that suffering is to be kept silent or private; it should not affect your daily life. Suffering saints try to live two separate lives because they have been told their whole life that suffering is a mindset, and “you should just get over it.”

18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 ESV. Christ suffered! He experienced pain in every sense of the word. Was He of weak faith or lacking trust in His Father?

The pain we experience in suffering is real, it is unique, and it is an accurate reflection of our emotional state. Our reaction to pain in suffering should not be ignored or hidden from others. Instead, we should seek to be first, honest to God, and second, honest and open to those we trust in community. A true biblical community does not merely rejoice when a member is rejoicing. Biblical community also suffers and mourns when a member suffers or is in pain. There is little hope to find comfort or peace in suffering if we can not first acknowledge that it is a painful and refining process. Let us look first to Christ, who suffered for all.

Suffering is Redeemable

Suffering is Redeemable! The best news that you hear today may be that our suffering can be redeemed. If our suffering was unredeemable, then what would be the point? For the Christian, suffering and pain is not the end of the line. We do not have to wallow or mourn our suffering forever. Our suffering should be purposeful and point us back to the One who suffered for us.

I do not want to diminish the sufferings of our fellow saints. Real pain and hurt are simply apart of living in a broken world. The question becomes: What do we do with our suffering. Do we sit in it until we feel we can “dust it off” and move on? Or do we pray that our pain will be used for redemptive purposes? What does this mean, and what does this look like in the life of the Christian?

Alan Paton, in his book Cry, the Beloved Country, said, “The tragedy is not that things are broken, the tragedy is that they are not mended again.” Wise words from the great novelist who understood that it would be an enormous tragedy for suffering only to be suffering! Again, I want to make clear that suffering is hard, suffering is long, and suffering is unique. One thing is true…suffering was not meant to stay unredeemed.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:3–5‬ ‭ESV.‬‬

Our suffering should drive us to our knees and point us to Christ as the all-sufficient and magnificent treasure of God! Our pain should drive us to complete and utter reliance on Him, who sustains us. Our suffering should mold us into men and women of character. Our suffering should force us to look to the one who suffered for all humanity. It should humble us before the throne of grace, and it should direct us to pray for healing, growth, and righteousness. This brings us to a third point:

Suffering Can Produce Sanctification

Since suffering is redeemable and purposeful, it would be safe to say that there is no better purpose than to be made more like Christ. In fact, everything we do should pull us to Christ, and suffering is no different. If we do not grow in our suffering, we are missing out on a beautiful blessing. Going through trials and times of tested faith shows us our character, it shows us our insufficiency, and it shows us that the way to restoration is Christ!

I find that often, we have to be broken down, at our worst, with nowhere to turn, for the Lord to bring us closer to Himself. It is easy to not grow in our love for the Lord when we are cruising through life with little to no struggle or issues. Our faith is tested and can be strengthened when we have nowhere else to look but up to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. I look back on my sufferings and the suffering of others, and there is a common trend. People are often grateful that suffering produced repentance, growth, maturity, and holiness in their lives.

Suffering Shows Magnifies the Grace of God

There is a beautiful and marvelous truth that springs forth from suffering; It shows off the grace of God. It magnifies the greatness of His mercy! In fact, I would argue that grace is seen as more beautiful and accepted more readily when it comes out of suffering. There is no need for grace in a perfect world. Unfortunately, suffering is an inevitable part of reality. It is something that infects our innermost being and often torments us. So what can we do? We must fix our eyes on Jesus.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2–3 ESV.

Is there any better place to shift our gaze? Is there anyone who suffered more? Christ is fully God, fully man, and he bore the sins of the world on our behalf. The one who deserved no suffering, suffered for everyone before the Father. We must “consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

When we suffer, we have no better place to run than to the throne of grace. How much sweeter is the grace of God when it is what we need the most. A healthy person does not require a doctor, but one who suffers needs grace in abundance. I think it would be safe to say that our suffering not only can magnify the grace of God in our lives, but it can posture our hearts to worship the King.

I think a beautiful picture of suffering and grace can be seen in the rising and falling of the sun each day. In the morning, the darkness is pushed back as the light shines forth. This does not negate the reality that at dusk, the sun will set, and the darkness will return. The beautiful thing is that every day, the hope is in the knowledge that the light will push back the darkness at dawn the next day. Suffering is a part of living in a fallen world! But there is always hope that the SON will rise and push back the darkness. Christ is our hope, He is our refuge, and He is our light. There is no safer place to be than in His arms.

There is much that has been said about suffering. Again, I want to reiterate that these are observations from my own experience. I find these to be informed by Scripture, but that does not negate anyone’s suffering or make suffering easier to deal with by any means. My prayer is that today, we will all see Christ as the most beautiful treasure to be loved and cherished. There is no suffering that cannot be softened by the love and grace of God.