Suffering

[Bob Wille]

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory
that is going to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:18

Funny how it is okay to blame God
for evil and suffering in the world,
but it is not necessary to thank Him
for what is good and pleasant.
[Unknown]

 

[TheWhat?]

You know, I was just thinking about this very thing today. I was just about to take a bite into my sandwich at lunch when saying grace came to mind, and with all the talk going on here about persecution and such, I had to stop and ask myself "does God want me to suffer, or to be thankful for this meal?" Honestly, at that moment it seemed completely contradictory.

 

[returntosender]

I love to see posts showing Christian's love for God

 

[St_Worm2]

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18
Funny how it is okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it is not necessary to thank Him for what is good and pleasant.[Unknown]

Hi Bob, are we not also commanded to thank Him for EVERYTHING, including the things that do ~not~ seem/feel good to us (at least in the moment anyway), trusting that His great promise to us, that He will cause ALL THINGS to work together for our good .. Romans 8:28 (whether what is happening to us seems good or bad to us in the moment), will actually come true?

Here are some other Scriptures that come to mind.

Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

1 Thessalonians 5
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 ~in everything~ give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us ~for our good~, so that we may share His holiness.
11 All discipline seems painful rather than pleasant at the time; yet afterwards, for those who have been trained by it, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
​

Or as Missionary Elisabeth Elliot once said,

Our vision is so limited that we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything that it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.​

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - finally, here is one of my favorite quotes and points of view about suffering from Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon.

We know that God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
​

 

[Sarah G]

Suffering is mercy, it brings us closer to God. It's not always easy to be thankful for suffering at the time but in retrospect it often is.
We should be thankful for everything, including difficulties and suffering.

 

[rocknanchor]

Tis good as some mention 'difficulties'. Yes, some Christians endure oppression and persecution on-end, but all will taste of it as the scriptures declare. But what of difficulties, difficulties of not only loving an enemy, but distancing oneself from personal bias? For instance, when two are joined to become one and each have children of their own, indeed, sometimes this is an unpleasant discipline to love them all equally, but by God, there is a harmonious blend.

 

[Bob Wille]

I love to see posts showing Christian's love for God

Thanks for your post, "returntosender". What an appropriate name: "
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Genesis 3:19 (NIV)

 

[returntosender]

Not a good day for this. not a goodness and light day for me.
I always wonder if I am the only one that doesn't think our "pain and suffering brings us closer to God"? I know it's the good thing to say but as time goes on and trials increase I get farther away. I don't stop loving him but I surely don't thank him for it.
God bless those that can view suffering that way.

 

[Bob Wille]

Not a good day for this. not a goodness and light day for me.
I always wonder if I am the only one that doesn't think our "pain and suffering brings us closer to God"? I know it's the good thing to say but as time goes on and trials increase I get farther away. I don't stop loving him but I surely don't thank him for it.
God bless those that can view suffering that way.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
Romans 8:18 (NIV)

 

[TheWhat?]

Not a good day for this. not a goodness and light day for me.
I always wonder if I am the only one that doesn't think our "pain and suffering brings us closer to God"? I know it's the good thing to say but as time goes on and trials increase I get farther away. I don't stop loving him but I surely don't thank him for it.
God bless those that can view suffering that way.

Sorry to hear. I think suffering can bring us closer to Christ, but yeah, not always. There are times when we have to seek God to lessen our suffering.

I always keep in mind examples such as Naomi or, especially, Hannah. Naomi suffered, unfortunately, from the will of God for going into a pagan nation with her family, but she was not punished when she returned. She was helped. Hannah also sought God, and she was not reprimanded for seeking to escape her suffering, she was rewarded with a son.

James says something similar:

[Heb 11:6 NKJV] 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Of course that doesn't mean we're guaranteed the answer we prefer, although it's enough to keep the door to hope open just a crack. At least it can help to know that it's just the brokenness of the world, of nature, that we suffer in some cases and not because God directly wills our suffering.

We christians who are so quick to raise the bar and push others toward suffering might get it, eventually, even if we have to first be broken to come to that realization.

 

[Bob Wille]

Sorry to hear. I think suffering can bring us closer to Christ, but yeah, not always. There are times when we have to seek God to lessen our suffering.

I always keep in mind examples such as Naomi or, especially, Hannah. Naomi suffered, unfortunately, from the will of God for going into a pagan nation with her family, but she was not punished when she returned. She was helped. Hannah also sought God, and she was not reprimanded for seeking to escape her suffering, she was rewarded with a son.

James says something similar:

[Heb 11:6 NKJV] 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Of course that doesn't mean we're guaranteed the answer we prefer, although it's enough to keep the door to hope open just a crack. At least it can help to know that it's just the brokenness of the world, of nature, that we suffer in some cases and not because God directly wills our suffering.

We christians who are so quick to raise the bar and push others toward suffering might get it, eventually, even if we have to first be broken to come to that realization.

 

[Bob Wille]

Thank you for your well-thought-out response. Very much appreciated.