God’s People Will Suffer

[Job] was the greatest man among all the people of the East.   Job 1:3, NIV

Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes terrible things happen to wonderful people, and God allows it to be so. The story of Job clearly teaches us that the pursuit of a godly life will not put us beyond suffering.

Many Christians instinctively feel that if they pursue a life of worship and service, God will keep them from significant suffering in their lives. But there is no such deal on the table. The book of Job makes that clear. Christian faith does not inoculate us against suffering in a fallen world. That is why it is an absolute travesty of the gospel to suggest that if people come to Jesus, all their problems will be solved.

At the heart of the Bible story, we learn that the greatest and most godly person who ever lived suffered more than any other. Jesus Christ was rejected by his family. He wept at the graveside of one of his dearest friends. He was betrayed and suffered injustice, and then he was crucified. When he calls us to walk in his footsteps, that includes following him into the mystery of the suffering that God allows in the life of a godly person.

When you suffer, you will probably ask why. Jesus did. But as fallen human beings, we often frame the question wrongly, reflecting a mind-set that while it may be appropriate that other people should suffer, suffering should not happen to us. We are churchgoers, we might think. We tithe. We give to others. We are, generally speaking, good people. But our faith in Christ does not and will not grant us immunity from suffering in this life.

The apostle Peter writes, “Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). The important question to ask is not “Why does suffering happen?” but “How can I stand when all the navigating points of my life disappear?”

For further reading, see 1 Peter 4