The Gift of Suffering: Introduction

I had the opportunity to speak to the young adult ministry at my church recently, and from the moment I was asked to speak, I felt very strongly to speak on suffering. Based on the response of that night and subsequent weeks as well as general observation, I believe this topic requires a more thorough examination. Therefore, I am going to spend the next 4-5 Theology Thursdays covering suffering. In the end, my hope is that you will see suffering the way God intends and the Bible describes: as a gift.


Over the next few weeks, I will be taking a walk through the New Testament to cover the key points in understanding a biblical view of suffering. This series of studies is not meant to be comprehensive in nature; I won't be covering every verse on suffering in the New Testament. Rather, I want anyone reading to see how the Bible reveals that suffering is a gift given from God designed to enhance our delight in Him and advance the gospel to the world.

To begin, however, let's look at a passage from the Psalter which will help us establish a framework for understanding where these next weeks will take us.

Psalm 66:8-12
8  Bless our God, O peoples;
      let the sound of his praise be heard,
9  who has kept our soul among the living
      and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
      you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
      you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
       we went through fire and through water;
     yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.


The opening lines of this passage (vv.8-9) indicate a worship-filled faith in the God of the universe, the One who loves all the peoples. We see God as sovereign, sustaining His people and keeping them securely within His grasp. The person writing this truly loves God and desires to see His name made great in the earth. Next week, we will see that suffering is promised to the believer. Note that phrase - to the believer - because the first key point is that suffering for the believer involves a mindset that is wholly different than that of the general population. Therefore, to grasp biblical suffering, one must first grasp Jesus.

The next section (v.10) deals with the fact that suffering is a test given to us by God. It is meant to test, or refine, our faith. God does not allow suffering for the sake of punishment; He allows it for the sake of development. Therefore, suffering is a means of grace in the life of the believer. God deals with us as His children, and as such He does not let us just meander about this life with no direction, training, or exercise for the sake of honing our faith.

Too often, suffering is viewed as corrective discipline rather than as developmental discipline. It is like saying getting grounded because you arrived home after curfew is the same as playing Rachmaninov after years of rehearsal on the piano. Consequences to sin and the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit is not the same as biblical suffering. Biblical suffering is given room to operate by God so that our faith in His goodness and love can be strengthened and we can honor Him more for how He reveals Himself to us during those times. Thus, it is His grace toward us that we should suffer.

If suffering is truly grace from God, then two conclusions must be drawn. First, it is part of His sovereign plan for our lives that we should suffer in particular ways (v.11). Second, He intends that we lean on Him so that He may carry us through (v.12b,c). In so doing, we see that, since suffering is both promised and part of grace, it is part of God's plan, and therefore it is good.

Finally, with the assertion made that biblical suffering is good, the passage above concludes with an eventual deliverance into 'abundance' (v.12c). In other words, suffering for Christ not only rewards the Christian, it is a reward, a gift, to suffer as Christ suffered and to be counted worthy to do so as His adopted sons and daughters.

This is the journey we will take over the next few weeks as we go into the New Testament to see what the authors there say about each of these points. The discussion here is merely a primer, a road map, so that you will know where we are headed. The coming weeks will, hopefully, bring clarity where there may be questions. If you are going through suffering right now, please continue to read these posts as I believe God is going to surprise you with joy in the midst of your suffering as you see how He sees your suffering and, more importantly, how He sees you.

Next week: The Gift of Suffering: It's Guaranteed