Suffering's Role

Dear Victorious,

Thanks for answering my question the other day on suffering. I have another question now. If bad things are going to happen to good people and we should rejoice in our suffering, why do people have so much trouble with suffering?

Edwin A. - Alice, TX

Dear Ed,

You're welcome. I think that people have so much trouble with suffering for at least one of two reasons.

First, we want to know why. And the fact that we can't seem to get a straight answer only serves to increase our suffering. In fact, we stay so focused on the question of why that we can't seem to look at God's purposes.

Second, even if we think we know the why, most explanations are inaccurate and don't serve as much comfort to us. People will (a) believe in God only when they are prospering and not suffering (this is wrong), (b) think that suffering is God's judgment for sin (this may not be true), (c) think that suffering is God's way to teach, discipline and refine (this is incomplete). But there is another answer: (d) suffering helps us to focus on who God is and not what He does.

This final view I believe is the point God wants to make in the midst of our suffering. We should not be asking why. Rather we should be asking who ... God is. Only by knowing who God is can we really walk through our suffering successfully.