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Why do we Suffer?
Why do we Suffer?
This is a question that if we are honest we have all asked at some point in time. Why do we suffer? Why is there suffering in the world? And the one we hear most often when tragedy strikes is why does God allow suffering if He loves us. My prayer is that before we leave today we have a better understanding of suffering and how we overcome suffering.
There are all kinds of different types of suffering that we as human beings face. There is physical suffering, mental suffering, spiritual suffering, suffering caused by our own actions, and suffering cause by others. The list could go on and on.
A prime example of this is me. In my mid to late teens it seemed like just when things would be going good in my life I would make a decision to throw everything into upheaval. I know i wasn’t doing it on purpose I really liked and still do enjoy peace and quiet and everything being on cruise control. But for some reason I would make a decision that would throw all that away for world war 3. Call it destructive behavior or addict mentality, or whatever psycho analysis you want to put on it but I guarantee you there was suffering involved.
Where did suffering come from then. Why is it here? Well lets take a look all the way back in Genesis. Adam and Eve decided they would disobey God and the rule He established with them. He gave them everything imaginable and provided for all their needs. Now we all know the story of what happens here: Adam and Eve disobey and their are consequences that cause suffering. Let’s take a look at the consequences:
Genesis 3:16-19
To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
Suffering arrives on the scene in the form of physical pain, hard work, and ultimately death. Here is my first point:
Suffering occurs because we try to replace God as the King of our lives with ourselves.
You see the perfect order is God is the King over everything. Adam and Eve it wasn’t the simple fact they ate something, no it was “we know better than God on this thing so we will do the exact opposite of what He says.”
We decide. We make our own rules. We do it our own way. And every time we do that there is suffering that follows. It may not be cataclysmic but it’s there none the less. And from that point on we are living in a fallen world where suffering is more the rule than the exception.
Look one generation past Adam and Eve and see the effects of suffering. Sometimes we go through suffering through no fault of our own. Sometimes someone else causes us to suffer. Look at Cain and Abel.
When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”
“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
Abel suffered and was killed by his brother. Adam and Eve suffered the loss of a child. They didn’t choose this it wasn’t their decision but they still suffer. It’s especially difficult to suffer through something that you didn’t have any control over. This is when the questions start. This is when the anger sets in.
My second point is this.
We were not created for suffering.
There is a reason why its feels so unfair, why it stings so much, why when we are suffering its seem so huge and insurmountable. We were not created to deal with it. We were created for so much more. We were created to have a perfect relationship with God. To walk with Him in the cool of the day. To worship Him and enjoy His provision. As we saw earlier with Adam and Eve that fellowship was broken.
But here is a neat thing that I notice now when I read the account of the fall.
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
This is the first instance of God covering us. He literally covered their shame. And notice that Adam and Eve couldn’t do it for themselves. God covered them. And when Jesus stepped out of heaven and came here and was executed on a cross He once and for all time covered our shame.
And that is the hope we have when we go through suffering. I wish it were different but suffering is a condition of the fallen world that we live in. So what then? What do we do? Do we just wait for inevitable hammer to drop? Wait for the suffering and the trials and the hard times and just sit there stuck in it? Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians:
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
Remember that as a Christ follower you are never abandoned by God. You may be pressed on every side…every creditor you have is calling in their loans…and the money isn’t there. You may be perplexed....every family member may have turned their back on you but don’t despair. You may have been knocked down by the loss of someone close to you, but don’t think for one second you are destroyed. GOD WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU!!!
Jesus even tells us that we are going to have trouble and trials.
In John chapter 16 Jesus tells the disciples this:
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 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.”
He isn’t promising peace from the world. He knows the nature of world and what each one of us will deal with. What He is promising is perfect peace in Him.
Paul calls it peace that passes all understanding. In Philippians paul writes:
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
We might say something like how can I have peace right now. I am suffering. I am going through things that make me want to just curl up and cry. I am suffering. I am hurting. That is where it passes all understanding. All common sense. When you are centered on Christ His peace will fill you. In the very midst of the worst battle, the worst suffering, the worst trial....His peace will sustain you.
And I promise you this one thing. His peace is enough....It may be just enough…but it will be enough.
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.
You see God doesn’t want you to to go through life just suffering one minute to the next. He’s not up there saying lets see just how much we can put Brad through today. How much suffering can He handle. God knows that suffering is part of living in this fallen world. His word promises He will Restore us. Support us. And Strengthen us. And He will place us on a firm foundation.
No He doesn’t want us to suffer but He will use it for our benefit. Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my life haven’t been learned in the easy times. It’s when things are hard, difficult, and I’m hurting, or broken. And the most valuable lesson i’ve learned is to trust in and lean on God during these times. To draw close to Him and his grace and mercy. His love and kindness. HIS STRENGTH.
says this:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God will take your tragedy and turn it into a triumph. He will take your suffering and turn it to joy. He will take your mourning and turn it to dancing. The verse says God causes. Which means He isn’t just watching things happen. He is intervening on your behalf. He is moving to help you. He is coming along side you and carrying you.
And here is our hope when we are in the valley. When we are suffering we can know not only is God moving on our behalf but there is a day coming when all this will be gone.
Here is what John saw in Revelation:
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”