THE CHRISTIAN AND SUFFERING
Message 1
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING - The “What Now?” of Suffering
“We rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. “(Romans 5:4)
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)
When horrible suffering fell on Job he cried out to heaven in 7:20: “Why do you use me for your target practice?” (TEV). When horrible things like cancer, car crashes, kids on drugs, etc. come our way, unless we are obviously at fault, it is almost impossible to know why.
There is nothing wrong with questioning God. The Psalms are full of it; the Book of Job is almost nothing but questions; and even Jesus on the cross asked the “why” of His sufferings (Matt. 27:46). The problem is, we seldom get an answer.
There are only four answers. (1) It can be our fault – we smoke from age twelve and die from emphysema. (2) God sends it to make us better people or to punish us. (3) God allows it. (To me this is the same as God sending it. What is the difference if God beats me up or lets Mike Tyson beat me up? I am still beaten up.)
(4) Finally, our pain is part of the price we pay for being human. Life has dealt us a bad blow and God can with us to help us if we give it to Him. We can claim Romans 8:28, that God will make it work out and produce something good.
We find all these reasons in the Bible and we may experience all in our lifetime; but much of the time we are left in the dark as to the “why” . What we must do is go from “why” to “what now”. We must give our troubles to God and ask Him to make it work out for our good, the good of the Kingdom, and the good of others.
The traits we admire the most, such as courage, patience, mercy, and faith; are developed in painful situations. At high noon the sky above us is filled with stars, but we cannot see them because we are in the light. In the darkness of pain God shows us things we cannot see in the day light of good times. Suffering can make us better or bitter. It can make us better.
A. Hurt Can Draws Us Closer to God (Job 1:5)
When Jonah ran into a storm at sea running from God we read that, “All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god.” We glance at heaven every now and then but most of us never really look up with interest and intensity until life knocks us down. The very fact that we say, “Why me, Lord?” means we have been driven to God and a deeper level of communication with Him.
The KJV of Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good” is misleading. The newer versions bring out what the NASV says, “God causes all things to work together for good.” Faced with more than we can bear we naturally turn to the all powerful and all loving God.
Even unreligious people go to God in pain if only to curse Him. C.S. Lewis says “God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts to us in our pain”. We may look up to accuse Him; to bargain with Him; to shake our fist at Him; to ask why; or to ask for help- but we look up!
A pilot told the passengers an engine was on fire. One man yelled frantically - “Somebody do something religious!” A Catholic pulled out her beads. An Episcopalian pulled out his prayer book. Those who had not given much thought to God tried to pray; and a Baptist took off his hat and took up an offering.
B. Hurt Can Draw Us Closer to Others
(2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
“God / comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so through Christ our comfort overflows (to others).”
It’s amazing how selfish we are. We cling to our clan, our family, our friends, our church. Looking at a street person, a wheelchair, a blind person, etc. we are uncomfortable and shy away and are almost happy when the encounter is over. We wish them well but most of us do nothing to help them.
It is only when life throws us into some great hurt that we join them. Our clan changes, it grows larger. We see life through others’ eyes. We go from sympathy to empathy, which means, “Your pain in my heart!”
When God helps us we want to pass it on to others. Adam Walch’s son is murdered, and he gives his life to capturing criminals and helping parents like himself.
Michael J. Fox, stricken with Parkinson’s said goodbye to his television career. But he said, “Hello!” to finding a cure for Parkinson’s and to working with people with Parkinson’s. Hurts are turned into helping hands, when before the hurt, all we did was fill our hands with the things of this world.
C. Hurt Can Draw Us Closer to our (Best) Selves
(Philippians. 4:12-13 CEV)
“I know what it is to be poor or have plenty / I have lived under all kinds of conditions / Christ gives me the strength to face anything.
I saw a sign, “Christians are like tea. Their strength does not come out until they are in hot water!” We don’t know ourselves, our potential, our courage, our faith, our strength in Jesus, until some crisis brings it out.
Renee Bondi, in 1988, was on top of the world, She was a Christian and a high school choral teacher engaged to be married. She always made it a practice to instill faith in her students - faith that they and God could handle anything.
One night, exhausted, she fell out of her bed, landed on her head and was immediately paralyzed from the neck down. She admitted she asked God why. Working through it she said God whispered to her soul that we do not select the songs of our life, but if we trust him, we can still make beautiful music.
She wasn’t too sure. She wondered if she had the faith she had taught her students. She did. Mike, her fiancé, married her. She now sings songs she has written to prisoners, teenagers and church groups. She has formed three youth choirs in her church. She looks at her whole life now, smiles and says, “Now this is beautiful music!”
D. Hurt Can Draw Us Closer to Heaven
(Philippians 1:22, 23)
“The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better.”
“The Message” Version
It’s amazing how much we prepare for this world and how little we think about the world to come. I think of this when I see people jogging on Sunday morning instead of going to church. We get emotional about heaven when a loved one dies, but back in the rat race of life, heaven moves to the back burner. It is only as this earth hurts us more and more that we begin to “groan inwardly” and “wait eagerly” for heaven (Romans 8).
James Dodson told of a television docudrama with three families, each of which had been told that one of them would die soon of cancer. They showed the shock, the tears, the unbelief, the anger, the acceptance and the courage of the days and weeks that led up to death.
The family I remembered most was that of a very humble African American pastor of a small inner-city church. He and his wife received the news calmly. They thanked the doctor for his honesty and kindness. In the car they joined hands, bowed their heads and recommitted themselves to the Lord.
The TV camera recorded his last sermon to his little church. He said, “Some have asked me if I’m mad at God, but I have only love for Him. God did not do this to me. We live in a world of suffering and sin and death. Our Lord suffered for our sins so why shouldn’t I share some of His suffering. I’m going to a better place where there are no tears, no suffering and no heartache.” Then he broke out in a song. Those were his last words to his people. We are sad for him and his family, but we don’t feel sorry for them. They have a faith, a joy and a hope we admire and would like to have.
E. Hurt Can Drive Us Away from God (Job 2:9)
(Job’s) wife said to him,
“Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” (Chapter 2)
Blessings are not automatic. Job’s wife suffered and was made bitter not better. Pain can drive us to God or erect a barrier between us and God. It can drive us inward to discover hidden strengths or to self pity. It can drive us to love and help people or to be jealous of their good fortune and to actually dislike them for having what we do not have.
Mark Twain had little use for religion. It is said that when he related one time to his little daughter where he had been and who he had seen, that she said, “Daddy. I’ll bet you know everybody but God.”
Life’s sufferings, especially when it came to his home in the death took his wife, drove him not just away from God, but against God. One of his last books was an attack upon Christianity. He wrote that every year, millions who die,
“scoff at the pitiful world and the useless universe and violent, contemptible human race.”
He wore his unbelief proudly but beneath the pride and anger was probably a sad, lonely, broken heart.
