God's Will: Suffering

God’s Will: Suffering
Let me just start by saying that I enter into this subject with difficulty and hesitation. Suffering is not something to deal with lightly or flippantly, and while I know a little of personal suffering and difficulty I have yet to wrestle with chronic pain or terminal disease, I have not faced persecution to violence nor have I shed a drop of blood for Christ. I am not writing from an overflow of suffering in my life that has equipped me to handle the subject but I am writing as one who has the word of God. For though I have faced relatively little suffering, suffering does not automatically qualify one to speak of suffering. When speaking of suffering the wisest and best thing to do is to allow the scriptures to speak for themselves, this is the high road but more then that, the true road.

Also, as I write, I will by no means even attempt to cover this subject, for suffering has filled volumes and many of those volumes are not satisfactory. I am not gifted or equipped to tackle the full or even partial depth of this matter of suffering. I will try and stay to the point of suffering and God’s will (which is large enough). What I really feel needs to be addressed is our aversion to suffering, I will also attempt to deal with how God wills suffering rightly and then what our right response in the gospel to suffering should be. So three things; our aversion to suffering, God’s willing of suffering and our gospel response to suffering. I am sure those three will supply ample material for many posts but I will try and keep it to a minimum, after all, this is only a blog.

We will start with God’s willing of suffering for starting with God is better then starting with man, and I think will lead to correcting our aversions and responses, three birds with one stone. As we start, let me just reiterate what I was trying to say, by no means am I the definitive answer nor do I expect everyone to agree fully with me but I do believe that I am being true to the scriptures and where you disagree may it only be because of your knowledge of the scriptures. This is an emotional subject and something beyond our intellect as well but with scripture as our guide we can navigate and gain understanding in this subject. So here we go.

God wills suffering. I don’t know how to pause in writing for reflection but here I ask you to pause; God wills suffering, Selah.

‘God wills suffering,’ is a point that I do not think needs to be defended. The scripture to support such a statement are to numerous to even mention so we will take only one, Isaiah 53. If this one scripture shows God wills suffering then we can know that no other scripture will contradict it, scripture is in harmony with itself, it being God’s revelation.

Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest and most popular chapters prophesying the coming life and death of Christ. And the whole of the chapter needs to be read, and I would encourage you to do so for I will only reference parts, namely verse 10, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief…” That is all that we need to consider, why is it that Jesus suffered as He did, “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, to put Him to grief…” Does the Lord will suffering? Yes. In fact, when Jesus was facing the agony of the cross, when the weight of what was about to come upon Him, all the terror of scourging and crucifixion, nearly crushed Him in the garden, what did He pray, but only for God’s will to be done (Luke 22:42). Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28 all emphasize the Lord’s purpose and will in determining what would take place with Jesus. Perhaps the most shocking and decisive would be I Peter 1:18-21, which tells us that before the foundation of the world, before even the fall of man or the need for redemption, Christ was already chosen by God to suffer and die for the redemption of His people, a people yet to exist. Does God will suffering? Even from before the foundation of the world.

I think that our initial response to this, especially those who do not know Him, and for some who do know Him, is indignation. As if something evil and wrong is being ascribed to God, that His character is being marred or that a great barrier to faith is being raised, but I could not disagree more. The greatest offense is not to ascribe to God that which He has revealed but to deny that which God has revealed or even to ascribe to God that which is not true (Rom 1:18-32). We are not to conform God to our fallen image but we are to conform our fallen image to God (Rom 12:1-2).

But behind the initial indignation or even confusion is the need for this to be true. We need God to be sovereign even over suffering, we need it to be by His will for the other option (as if there were one) is far bleaker and more terrifying, that God is not in control, that the universe really is spinning out of control. That God’s promises are mere intentions that He has no real ability to fulfill. Now I shy away from this kind of reasoning because truth is not determined by us or by “other options” for truth is true, there is no other option. The question is not what we want to be true, but will we submit to the truth even if it baffles us and complexes us. Can we only trust God in so far as we understand Him? Then we are doomed, for His infiniteness, eternalness and holiness is more then we will ever grasp.

I shared Exodus 17 in the previous post, hoping that it would set God’s Godhood before us as something that we need to reverence and fear, submit to and honor, trust. God is God, He is far greater, more majestic, more glorious then we can comprehend. Truly, if we would have God only in so far as we can look down upon Him, then we will not have God. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts that your thoughts’ (Is 55:8-9).”

So we see clearly that God willed the suffering of Jesus, even the circumstance of His birth, life, death and resurrection. In fact, if we were to say that God did not will the suffering of Jesus, then the gospel falls apart, for the gospel is the good news that God sent His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for sinners, if He was not sent for this purpose then we would still be in our sin.

“But just because God sometimes has willed suffering does that mean that all suffering is willed by God?” We can admit that in this case it is obvious that God willed the suffering and death of His Christ but does that mean that across the board all suffering is God’s will? This is a harder question but one that we can attempt to answer. We will consider two or three other passages to answer this.

First, lets consider David and Shimei, II Samuel 16:5-14, recounts the story. Again, for brevity sake I will not write the whole of the passage but certainly encourage you to read it. The passage is set in the context of David fleeing from his kingdom after the revolt of his son Absalom. As David escaped, a distant relative of King Saul comes out and curses David, even throwing stones at him, telling David that the cause of his troubles is God’s retribution for displacing Saul as king. Now I admit that the suffering is little is comparison to the suffering of Christ but it is still affliction (II Sam 16:12).

Now what I want you to see is David’s understanding of this “affliction.” Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, is with David and suggests that they kill Shimei for cursing David but David responds with these words, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” Again in verse 11, David reiterates saying, “Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him.”

We will return to this passage after we consider two more. Job is the perfect example for us to understand suffering. Job lost everything, his health, his livestock, even his children, and arguably his wife for a time. You need to read the first two chapters of Job to see all that he went through and why, we will consider only his understanding of it. After losing his property and children, Job makes this statement, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 2:21). Now the interesting thing about this statement is that if you read the full account you see Satan taking away everything, using fire, the Sabeans, and the Chaldeans. Yet, Job, in his understanding of suffering ascribes it to God. Now perhaps we think that Job spoke wrongly but the following verse, 22, reads, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Lastly, consider Joseph and his brother (Gen 37-50). Joseph has been in sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and finally raised to the right hand of Pharaoh. Now certainly, if you read the whole story, you see that it was at the hands of his brothers that he suffered and then at the hands of Potiphar but never does it mention God’s doing it, yet, much like Job, Joseph recognizes the whole as coming from God. Genesis 50:20 records Joseph’s words to his brothers in light of all that has happened, saying, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.”
Now, in light of these three passages, many more being readily available, we see that God is sovereign over all these circumstances, not only there to pick up the pieces, but even willing them. The trouble seems for many to be that somehow they think that this compromises God character or in some way ascribes unrighteousness to Him. I understand this argument. What we need to understand is that God never needs us to defend His honor or make Him more appealing by our reasoning. God is glorified by being God, holy, sovereign, majestic and glorious. Scripture clearly portrays God as completely sovereign in all things; again, all things.

I think that what we need to consider and where we get hung up is our understanding of suffering or better our aversion to suffering. We automatically think that suffering is evil and bad and wrong. And in a sense that is true. There is only suffering because of sin, had man not fallen in Adam, there would not be suffering and in the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly Kingdom, there will not be suffering. Suffering is a reality because sin is a reality. Our problem is that we forget the sovereignty of God even in suffering. Because we only see suffering with our eyes and understanding we hate it with an idolatrous hatred, paying it a homage that we should not. We avoid it all costs and dread that we would ever be caught in it but we will be caught in it. Rather, if our understanding is in line with scripture, suffering suddenly becomes a privilege and a blessing.

Again, consider scripture, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:10)” Or Acts 5:41, “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Perhaps James’ words are the strongest, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials…(James 1:2), ” or Paul, “we glory in tribulations (Rom 5:3), or Peter, “even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed (I Pet 3:14),” or the author of Hebrews, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation (Jesus) perfect through sufferings (Heb 2:10).” Scripture does not mince words. We have an aversion to suffering because we do not understand God’s will in suffering. If we but for a moment understood suffering as scripture explains suffering we would rejoice in it. As I said in the previous post, God does not command futility or vanity, when we are told to rejoice in trials, it is because if we understand scripture then we have every reason to rejoice in suffering. We do not rejoice just to rejoice, but we rejoice because if we understand the gospel (the whole bible) there is nothing we can do but rejoice. The fruit of the gospel naturally born forth in our life will be rejoicing.

Paul tells us that they had the sentence of death in themselves, that they should not trust in themselves but in God who raises the dead (II Cor 1:9-10). Why is this good? Because faith in God is what God desires of you for it is right. Faith recognizes His sufficiency and takes shelter and rest and hope only in Him. Why is this good for us? Because if we understand this world correctly, then we know that we are dependent upon God for everything but we tend to forget this and rebel, suffering brings us back to a dependency upon God. Why is dependency upon God good? Because you were made for Him, to reflect His glory. I do not want to get to man focused here but God is man focused, He invites us back to partake of His glory, to share in His glory, as I said before. Our greatest good is wrapped up in His glory, for this we were made. There is no life apart from God. What we so often think of as life is nothing but death. Jesus tells us that He is the life (John 14:6). What does that mean, it means there is no life apart from Him, only death. It is as we live in light of this truth that we depend upon God, but sin causes us to forget God, suffering reminds us of our need and dependency on God.

Suffering also brings with it great promise and hope. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18).” “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ( II Cor 4:17).” The first verse essentially says that those who are now suffering the most understand better than any the glory that awaits us. The greater the suffering here, the greater the expectation there. So many do not long for God and glory because they have created their own heaven here, they have tried to erase any need for God, but they have not succeeded. The second verse goes further still, not only saying that suffering creates a greater longing for glory but actually increases that glory, their expectation will be met. Praise Jesus.

Does this mean that we need to seek suffering so that we can experience more fully the glory of God now and forever after? No. We are not called to seek suffering. We are called to seek the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and to strive to live godly in Christ Jesus (Matt 6:33; II Tim 3:12). God will take care of the rest. What we have to do is follow Jesus even when we see that doing so will bring suffering.

Think of the Apostle Paul, he saw the glory of God but for a moment (Acts 9:1-9 )and then was shown all that he would suffer for his knowledge of this glory (9:15-16) and that small taste of glory was enough pledge and hope to carry him forward even knowing all that awaited him (II Cor 11:23-28 for a short list of those foreknown sufferings). Think, if you but saw the glory of God for a moment, it would sustain you through and even for all kinds of trials. “But,” you say, “I haven’t seen the glory of God shine upon me.” But you have if you have believed upon Christ (II Cor 4:6), He has revealed His most magnificent glory in His Son, look now to Jesus and know His glory, but also know this, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).” Have you seen as did Paul or Thomas, no, probably not, but a greater blessedness awaits those who believe without seeing, for you do know the truth, for God has revealed it to you in His word.

God’s will is faith, right now, where you are, trust Him. His promise to you is glory, His glory. He is sovereign and glorious and He calls you to partake of His gloriousness by faith.

Now, I think two things need to be said to wrap up. First, God’s sovereign will never negates mans responsibility. Never! Again, think of the sufferings of Christ so clearly brought about and willed by God, yet the men that carried out the act are still guilty (Acts 2:23, John 19:11). “And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but to woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! (Luke 22:22)” God wills suffering in a righteous way that we do not understand but the men by whom that suffering is brought about are not therefore innocent, but guilty. Much like Job, the Sabeans and the Chaldeans stole his livestock and killed his children, they were guilty of doing what they did, but God was sovereign over it. God does not allow things contrary to His will but only according to His will, so even if we want to try and make God more passive in the action, yet, it could only be by His will in accordance with His will or it could not be at all. That is hard. We cannot grasp the fullness of it, but surely, our hope is wrapped up in it. But the main point to remember is that God’s sovereignty does not negate man’s responsibility.

And lastly, we have considered some of God’s purpose in suffering, and surely there are more, but I really only wrote from the perspective of the Christian, the one that has faith in Christ, that trusts in Jesus. What are we to make of suffering in the life of a non-believer? This is much harder and I fear quite long but I will again aim at brevity.

God tells us that all His ways towards man are to draw men to Himself in faith, so that is one purpose in suffering for the non-believer, that they would finally be brought to the end of themselves and to faith in their Creator and Sustainer and Redeemer. But a second purpose is put forth in scripture, and this is only true of non-believers, never believers, and that is suffering is a consequence to their sin, meant to harden them and to increase their condemnation. This is very hard for us to hear, it is very hard to say, but it is true. If your sufferings do not lead you to repentance (for that matter, if all the goodness in your life does not lead you to repentance) then they only tend to a greater condemnation. Romans 2:5, says, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent (unrepentant) heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God…” What is a hard and impenitent heart? It is the same as being stiff necked (see previous post): unbelieving. The will of God is for you to turn from your sin and trust Him, have faith in Him, but sin hears this and feels violated, angry, indignant. “What gives God the right to demand this of me?” Everything! He is kind and gracious and patient, giving you opportunity to turn from yourself and sin (repent) and to turn to Him (faith). The wickedness does not rest with God but in man. For it is man that is in rebellion against God not God against man. It is when man is anti-Christ that Christ came and gave His life for man. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom 5:6-10).”

Suffering in the life of a believer is always brought about by a loving Father for the good of His children, always. Never will a true child of God suffer under God’s condemnation or wrath, never (Rom 8:1). In Christ, all of God’s ways towards His children are for their good and brought about in love (Heb 12:5-11). For the non-believer, until you believe the gospel, you are condemned already and the wrath of God weighs upon you (Rom 1:18-2:16; John 3:18-20). Believe and be saved.

I think for lengths sake, I will stop there. Much more could be said and needs to be said, but hopefully your aversion to suffering is halted and your joy in suffering increased and your confidence in your loving sovereign Father greater.






I am adding an appendix to this, “What is the Gospel?” I am hoping some are now asking that great question of life, “what must I do to be saved?”