God Never Wastes Suffering

This is an article I wrote for our church in light of our situation with Will(which has been resolved) and several other situations in our church family. I continue to be saddened by the suffering that those around me experience and yet hopeful for what God is doing in its midst.
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The past few weeks have been trying for our church family. I have been so impressed by how we have rallied around the ICU; for Kim and me with Will’s premature birth and now for the Owen family as Nick battles for his life. These could be added to various trials many others are facing, such as the Butterfield’s year-long ordeal with a whole host of issues. Every one of us is probably dealing with some sort of suffering in some manner or another. These events try our faith and test our belief in a good and sovereign God.

What are we to make of suffering? This is an issue with which philosophers and theologians have always wrestled. The Biblical truth is that God never wastes suffering, and neither should we. When the early Church Fathers were formulating the Apostles’ Creed, they summarized the whole activity of Jesus’ life by saying “He suffered.” This is hard for our American Christian ears to hear. So much of our culture is predicated on the avoidance of suffering. Think about all the advertising with which you are bombarded on a daily basis. Every bit of it tells you that you don’t have to suffer if you would only buy this product or use this service. But God can use suffering to tear away the façade and to teach us lessons that would otherwise be unheard.

Suffering has a purpose. “The testing of our faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-4). “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:1-4). The idea that suffering is out of the ordinary for Christians is a concept foreign to the pages of Scripture. Suffering and trials are a part of our life. And God intended it that way. He uses it to work out faith in the lives of His people. And we would do well not to short circuit the process. Rather, we need to see our sufferings as a conduit to faith. This doesn’t necessarily dull the pain we feel or the heartache we experience but it does give a purpose. Suffering should point us to the ultimate reality of God. When our ultimate reality is God our perspectives are changed. The minor things in life no longer seem so important. Our hearts are more captivated by that which is major. In the midst of suffering the truth of the Gospel takes on a depth that is otherwise unknown. Halfway through our NICU stay a nurse pulled me aside and said, “You know, this experience is going to make you a better pastor.” I replied, “Sure, but I wish I could have just read about it in a book.” We don’t like suffering, but God uses it for His glory in our lives. Suffering is a reality of living in a fallen world. As believers we can either run from it or seek the LORD in it. John Piper wrote a book “Don’t Waste Your Life,” and when he was diagnosed with cancer, he wrote an article titled “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” I have been struck by Piper’s idea of not wasting our suffering. God doesn’t waste suffering and neither should we. Here are three ways to assure that our suffering is not wasted.

1. Acknowledge that God is sovereign and he allowed whatever suffering we face for our good. This truth can be hard to swallow. It becomes impossible to accept when we fail to see our lives in the light of eternity. But we must remember that not a single molecule of the Universe is outside of the sovereign control of God. What others may intend for evil, God intends for good (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28).
2. Seek our comfort in God and not in relief from suffering. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps 20:7). In our day and age, we are blessed with such amazing medical advancements. Medically, we can do things which were only dreamt of a generation ago. And yet suffering remains. God will use this to remind us that He and He alone is our comfort. If we find our comfort in doctors and medicine or in anything else that offers relief, we will only be disappointed.
3. Take the opportunity to join with those who suffer by giving. The early church saw tremendous growth through its willingness to sacrifice for those who suffered. When babies were abandoned in ancient Rome, the Christians would rescue them and raise them (much to the consternation of the Roman officials). When plague and disease ran rampant in communities, the Christians stayed and ministered to the sick and dying. The Church was and continues to be built through generous giving. In the midst of suffering you and I have the privilege of giving our time, our money, our skills, and maybe even our lives to join with those in need. This is what Christ did for you. This is what it means to be generous with your life. This is what it means to live out the Gospel for others.

God never wastes suffering. If we do not look for the LORD in the midst of trials then we will miss that purpose and we will waste our suffering. You are not alone. Christ has given himself to enter into our suffering and he will supply every one of your needs (Phil 4:19). May God be glorified in our suffering.