It’s stating the obvious to say that suffering is universally part of the human condition. It’s impossible to imagine our lives without it, even though that’s what we’d hope for. But life just ain’t like that.
So, why does God allow it? More to the point, why does He let you and me suffer? That’s what we really want to know! Back in the 1st Century AD, Jesus’ brother, James, wrote this to persecuted Jews scattered across the Roman Empire:
James 1:2-4 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (NRSV)
I was deeply impacted by something that my good friend and long-time Africa missionary Lowell Wertz wrote recently on this very thing:
Maybe there’s no substitute for suffering. Experiences from God always have a purpose. Those disciples caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, in fear for their lives, saw Jesus walk on water and still the storm.
Boats, wind, waves – when they were at the end of themselves, strong men of the sea were humbled. The failure of their strength built humility into their lives. They suffered the worst so they could experience God’s best.
Or, as Franklin D Roosevelt put it, a smooth sea never made for a skilled sailor.
Embrace the struggles because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
