How is it that bad things happen to us when we have angels looking out for us, when Christ himself intercedes for us, and when God, who is all-powerful and all-knowing is all for us? If God is my fortress, how did this stuff get over the moat and into the fortification?

How are we to respond to suffering? What value, if any, does it have? The answer we get from the scriptures may not be what we’ve been taught, and it may not be what we’d prefer, but if we will listen to Peter, he will answer the questions so many of us have asked, and may be asking still. Peter tells us that 1) since Jesus has suffered, arm yourself with the very same purpose 2) don’t let suffering catch you off guard as if a test were an unexpected thing 3) when you suffer according to God’s will, entrust yourself to him 4) Christ shares his suffering with some; if you are privileged to be one of them, stay current in your rejoicing, knowing that exultation awaits you 5) trials and suffering are necessary sometimes 6) suffering serves as a refining fire for our faith which will prove more precious than gold 7) responding well to suffering will result in the eternal benefit of praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I will once again reference two classic books by the late Paul Billheimer: Don’t Waste Your Sorrows and Destined for the Throne. These books hammered home a spiritual reality: out of life’s painful experiences, God somehow creates current intimacy as well as eternal blessing. Consequently, when suffering has come into my life, there has always been a hope, albeit at times faint, that God was in the midst of the fire with me. Thanks to the scriptural teaching on suffering, there has always been an understanding that God was at work in the midst of unwanted circumstances.

Thanks to Paul, the apostle, Romans 8:28 contribution, there has always been the anticipation that proof of redemption would one day become evident, accruing to God’s glory and contributing to the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Viewing suffering through this lens exposes a deep mystery and encourages the perseverance required by faith—that thing which is so pleasing to God.

Sufferings are intersections where the believer finds a stoplight. He can turn either left or right. Or, preferably, he can proceed straight ahead on the main highway. The left turn has the believer closing his heart off to God because bad things transpired under the watch of a supposedly good Father. These travelers have no answer to suffering other than disappointment and even anger.

The right turn has the believer doubling down on false gospels that conveniently avoid the subject of suffering altogether or explain it away as satanic-theft. In this hyper-religious response, a God who must be good (all the time), by our temporal measurement, is rescued. This imagined deity’s throne is secure as long as believers can keep Satan at bay with their authority in Christ.

I don’t believe either of these directions honors the scriptures. I don’t know where they ultimately lead and I don’t want to find out. However, I do believe the Parable of the Sower sheds some light. Whether it was in bitterness or denial, the talent got buried. In the heart, where it might have grown, faith lay fallow. Neither the left nor the right turn will bring a return of investment to the Master.

Just as I have a low tolerance for physical pain, I also have a low tolerance for spiritual pain. At one level I despise suffering; I tremble for myself and others as I watch them dealing with it. I am keenly aware of both the left and right turn temptations. But, deeper in my heart, I recall that suffering may be necessary. I recall that redemption is embedded in all things (which includes suffering). I believe I will see this redemption if I will only respond to Jesus—as opposed to reacting to my circumstances in bitterness or religious-denial.

I don’t want to squander my sorrows. The scriptures tell me they are treasures in disguise. This is a place where we can advance in loving God with all our hearts, with all our strength and with all our minds. These intersections are where Jesus can become our all in all. Mysteriously, suffering can produce intimacy—God’s anticipated return-on-investment.

Admittedly, suffering is a cosmic mystery and we are right there, with Christ, in the middle of it. Responding to it correctly is how we are to stay on the main highway. My thanks go out to Peter, to both Paul A and Paul B, and to my other spiritual fathers for your navigational assistance.

Father, we really don’t need to know why painful experiences come our way. Regardless of our poor initial reaction to suffering, help us to recover quickly, realizing we are being raised as sons of God, as brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ and that you are a competent and loving parent who is capable of making use of everything that touches our lives, regardless of where it comes from. Amen.

 

 

 

 

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