So, if God is really God, and if He really loves us, then why does he allow us to suffer? Wouldn’t he want to stop our pain? In this episode, we will take a quick look at the story of Job to see how God has answered this question before.
Discussion questions after the break ->
What kinds of suffering do we deal with in our lives? How does this suffering compare with that of people around the world?
Have a look at this short report from CBS News and talk with your group about how our suffering differs from that of Christians in Iraq.
In the message, one of the “fill-ins” was that “My suffering is part of God’s plan.” Is it possible that God is doing something in us on purpose by allowing us to suffer?
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. -Philippians 1:29-30
God uses SUFFERING to accomplish HIS PURPOSE in creation. In his book, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper says
This was the moment—Good Friday—for which everything in the universe was planned. In conceiving a universe in which to display the glory of his grace, God did not choose plan B. There could be no greater display of the glory of the grace of God than what happened at Calvary. Everything leading to it and everything flowing from it is explained by it, including all the suffering in the world.
Just think about all the things Jesus accomplished when he suffered on the cross for us:
- Christ absorbed the wrath of God on our behalf (Gal 3:13)
- Christ bore our sins and purchased our forgiveness (1 Peter 2:24) Christ made us righteous (Phil 2:7-8)
- Christ defeated death (Hebrews 2:14-15)
- Christ disarmed Satan (Colossians 2:14-15)
- Christ purchased perfect healing (Isaiah 53:5, Revelation 7:17) Christ brings us finally to God (1 Peter 3:18)
The ultimate achievement of the cross is not freedom from sickness but fellowship with God. This is what we were made for: seeing and savoring and showing the glory of God. This is the glory of grace, and it could only come by suffering.