Pain & Gain Through Suffering

June 1, 1998

Pain with Gain

While suffering is always painful, there can be a beneficial side.
For the non-Christian, suffering can be a pathway to discover God.
For the Christian, suffering can be a means to deepen our relationship with God.

Pathway to Discover God Through Suffering

While suffering is unpleasant, it oftentimes is a pathway to discover God.
Humanity's need is an essential part of Christianity.
Jesus prioritized those in need above those who saw no need (Mt 9:10-13).

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house behold many tax collectors and sinnerscame and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they said to His disciples "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this He said "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion and not sacrifice ' for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

He claims that we must be broken down in order to gain life (Jn 12:24-25).

Truly Truly I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains by itself alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.

Suffering tests the effectiveness of our worldview.
Suffering also tests the reality of a conversion to Christianity (Mt 7:24-27).

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act upon them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and burst against that house; and it fell and great was its fall.

Suffering loss will test our hierarchy of relationships & values.
Our relationship with God is to be above:

our relationship with humanity (Mk 12:28-31, Mt 10:34-39)
our relationship with nature (Mt 19:16-30).

Suffering a loss forces a stratification of values.
If earthly loss is severe, one may be left with only their relationship with God.
Your personal suffering may be part of your pathway to know God.

Deepening Our Relationship with God Through Suffering

For the Christian, God is our comfort through loss (Ps 23:4, Rom 8:38-39):

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God may or may not choose remove the source of suffering.
Suffering may be for the purpose of our growth (Job 23:10, Jam 1:2-4):

But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Suffering is for God's greater purpose which is different than ours (Mt 16:21-23):

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

Here, Jesus sets the premier example of accepting suffering for God's purpose.
Like Job and Peter (Act 2:23), we may not accept God's purpose until later.
God can be glorified through suffering (John 9:1-3):

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

Strength from God may be found through ongoing suffering (2 Cor 12:7-10):

And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Ultimately, we might have a personal encounter with God like Job (Job 42:5):

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You.