The Problem of Pain and Suffering

How is it possible to explain why a good God allows human suffering? Jesus told us pain and suffering would be a part of our lives, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

I love that Jesus doesn’t simply say we’ll have trials and sorrow and then leaves it to us to figure out. Instead, he promises peace and reminds us that he has overcome the world, meaning our hardships aren’t without purpose.

Many people have trouble accepting Christianity because it is difficult to reconcile a good God and an evil world. And, as we see in the news all around us, it can be tempting to think of God as aloof and distant. That’s what makes this passage in John (and, for that matter, the entire ministry of Jesus) such a powerful response to all the evil in the world.

John 1 describes what theologians call the “incarnation.” The incarnation means what these verses explicitly spell out. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, “became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus takes on this mortal body and experiences everything we have ever experienced.

Yes, Jesus became flesh and became vulnerable when he knew all authority. He was born naked and placed in a feeding trough, then later died naked after being nailed to a cross. “He died exposed to the possibility of loss, not just of human life but of his very identity as the divine Son with whom the Father was well pleased.” It doesn’t get any fleshlier than that.

If we are open to the possibility of God existing, we must be open to the chance that we won’t always understand him. I’ll repeat that again because it has been helpful for me over the years: If I don’t consider a God that will sometimes bewilder me, flip my mind upside down, and subvert my expectations, then I’m not open to a mighty God. I’m only open to a buddy or a pal. I am sorry to burst some of your bubbles. God is not your buddy or pal or homeboy. God is God.

Paul, who experienced much pain and difficulty, can boldly declare in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Our pain and suffering have a purpose.

Paul chooses his words carefully, and notice he writes we know. For a man who underwent beatings, shipwrecks, and multiple imprisonments, Paul recognizes something essential for us to remember as believers – our pain is not meaningless but has a purpose. And not just some situations; he writes all things.

Every individual God used mightily throughout Scripture went through seasons of hardship. Moses had to flee his family who wanted to kill him, Elijah had people seeking his death, Queen Esther risked her life to save the Jewish people, Jesus’ disciples were all martyred for their commitment to Christ, and our Savior was beaten and crucified for us. Yet Scripture repeatedly speaks to how our suffering never concludes without God’s power working through it supernaturally.

Our pain and suffering often set us up to see God’s supernatural work.

[My own experiences]

Many of you have experienced this truth firsthand over and over in your lives.

Through that season, the Lord was near and helped me through the pain and discouragement a loss like this produces. He also walked with me and taught me some things that have helped me grow even stronger in our relationship.

Regardless of what you’re walking through today or what challenges are ahead, the Lord wants us to know these principles when we’re walking through difficult days.

Principles for walking with God through difficult days:

1. Bring your pain to God; don’t run from him.

When you run from God in seasons of challenge, you’re left with your limited ability to cope with what you’re walking through. On the other hand, God invites us to draw near to him so that we might experience his peace, healing, and closeness, which is what Scripture points us towards.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34:18

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Like our need for a surgeon to address physical wounds to our body, God desires to conduct divine surgery on our soul, which results in supernatural healing despite how difficult our challenges are. When we bring our pain to God, we recognize that there is a purpose, and in time the One who loves us unconditionally will reveal his divine purpose through it.

2. Fill your life with God’s Word and God’s people.

How we respond to pain and suffering is critical to how we process what’s happening and how healing will occur. If you treat physical sickness with the wrong medication, not only will your illness continue, but it could become worse.

If you fill your mind with wrong thoughts: God is mad at me, God is not good, worse things will happen, etc., you will struggle to experience the peace of God he promises to us in Scripture (Philippians 4:7).

But when you fill your life with God’s Word and surround yourself with people who speak hope and encouragement into your life, your experience will be much healthier.

“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” Psalm 119:103

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8

“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16

When we fill our minds with God’s Word, we are reminding ourselves of who our God is and what he’s like, and we replace the lies of the enemy with the truth of our good God.

3. Don’t be filled with worry; overflow your life with worship.

Something powerful happens when we actively choose to worship through our suffering. We aren’t denying reality; we are simply redirecting our posture from worry to worship.

Worship changes our perspective. Worship speaks about where our confidence and hope reside. Worship redirects our thinking. Worship places the results in God’s hands.

Whether your pain is the result of relationship challenges, financial struggles, health diagnosis, or anxiety about the future, when you begin to worship the Lord through your battle, spiritual chains start to break so that your circumstance doesn’t rule you. Still, you set your sights on something higher. This is why Paul and Silas could praise when chained in prison. They recognized that God was using their imprisonment to spread the gospel, which ultimately resulted in the first New Testament church on the continent of Europe.

4. Believe that God will turn your sorrow into great joy.

One of the paradoxes of Christianity is that our good God uses pain for our good, which means that our biggest sorrows can result in our greatest joy. When you think about Jesus’ greatest sorrow – suffering the shame, punishment, and death for our sins, the result was a great joy – the redemption of humanity and the opportunity for a relationship with the living God.

When you think about your story of your pain and suffering, think of how God used that situation to strengthen you and encourage others. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” Friends, there is good news for you. Your pain and suffering will not last forever.

The recently passed Tim Keller writes these thought-provoking words, “Embracing the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and Cross brings profound consolation in the face of suffering. The doctrine of the resurrection can instill within us a powerful hope. It promises that we will get the life we most longed for, but it will be an infinitely more glorious world than if there had never been the need for bravery, endurance, sacrifice, or salvation.”

Jesus willingly suffered the greatest pain because he knew the end of the story, and so do we. Scripture shows us in Revelation 21:3-4, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Humanity loves movies that end with happiness and joy because we’ve been created to know and walk with God, and for those who place their faith in him, that ending will become their reality. Eternity is coming, and our pain and suffering will not be forgotten, but the sting will be removed, and eternity will be even greater.

As you walk through suffering today or in the days to come, remember the words of our Savior Jesus Christ: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

I pray you have learned something about your faith as we close this sermon series. When asked why things happen to you, remember that God does things to build you, not kill you. So give thanks to God. Praise Him in the middle of your storms. Count it all joy because this pain and suffering is a fire refining you and making you stronger for what is next in your life. Amen.