Suffering
By Jeremy Glaze
I am sure that you have asked this same question that I have asked thousands of times. “Why would God let this happen?” When I think about poverty, orphans, cancer, natural disasters, etc…, that question usually pops in my head. It also comes to us in our own sufferings. Whether it is something big like losing our job or trouble in our marriage, or something as small as a flat tire in the rain, we tend to ask “why God?” As I mentioned in my previous blog, this question hit me hard when I visited Haiti a couple of weeks ago. And after searching, I have found comfort in another question.
What kind of God would He be if He did not allow us to suffer? Would He be as loving and gracious if He sheltered us from any sufferings? I don’t believe so. Through our suffering, we realize our need for God. And when we realize our need for Him, we realize His love for us. I think if we lived in a perfect world, having everything we want in life, we would not realize our need for a Saviour. Think about this. Which story would impact your life more? Listening to someone who we think to have a perfect life, great job, wonderful family talk about their walk with God and His great love? Or listening to someone who is battling cancer talk about their walk with God and His great love? I firmly believe we should constantly thank God for all the great things we have, but it is just as important to thank Him for allowing us to suffer and revealing to us our need for Him.
In my own opinion, I do not believe God causes bad things to happen. But I do believe He allows them to happen. But he has promised us that all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And one way He makes it all work together, is revealing to us our need for His love during these bad times. He uses our suffering to build up our faith. Romans 5:3-4 says this:
“We rejoice in our sufferings. Because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
It begins with suffering, but results in hope with God’s love poured out on us.
That is victory. That is an Awesome God!
Jeremy Glaze
