Question 1

Why am I suffering?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 37:28; 50:19-21So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt. . . . But Joseph replied [to his brothers], “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”2 Corinthians 4:16-18That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.Our immediate circumstances in this life, particularly when it comes to suffering, never reveal to us God’s intentions in the bigger picture. We know those from God’s Word.Joshua 7:1Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites.2 Samuel 15:13-14A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!” “Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.”Jeremiah 32:18You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.Sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others, and not for our own sins.Job 1:19“Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”Matthew 5:45“In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”John 9:2-3“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”Sometimes our suffering is not at all our fault. It just happens as part of our experience in a fallen world. What matters then is how we react to the suffering.Genesis 3:6, 23The woman . . . saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. . . . So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.Leviticus 26:43“For the land must be abandoned to enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will pay for their sins, for they have continually rejected my regulations and despised my decrees.”Proverbs 3:11-12My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.Sometimes God sends suffering as punishment for sin. He may discipline us because he loves us and wants to correct and restore us to him. Thank God for this kind of suffering, because God’s actions to get our attention could save us from even greater consequences later.1 Peter 4:14If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.Sometimes our suffering comes because we took a stand for Jesus.James 1:3You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.Sometimes we suffer because it will help us to grow and mature.2 Corinthians 1:3-4All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 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.Suffering teaches us empathy, enabling us to better comfort others. Wounded healers are more effective than healers who have never been wounded. Why? Because they know they don’t have all the answers, and they have wrestled and agonized over the questions. Being wounded may appear to weaken us, but actually it makes us stronger.2 Timothy 3:12Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.The world hates Christ, so when we identify with him, we can expect the world that inflicted suffering on him to also inflict suffering on us.Deuteronomy 8:2“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.”1 Corinthians 10:6-12As the Scriptures say, “The people [of Israel] celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.Sometimes God tests us with suffering to encourage us to obey him. He may even use our suffering to encourage and instruct others.

Question 2

Does suffering mean that God doesn’t care about me?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 56:8You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.Our suffering matters to God because we matter to God. He created us personally, and he created us for a purpose. God’s care is such that not even a single tear goes unnoticed. He knows our every pain and will one day lead us to ultimate joy and victory in an eternal life with him.Psalm 22:24He [the Lord] has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.Suffering is not a sign of God’s absence; it is a fact of life in this fallen world. God is with us in the midst of life’s struggles. He may not remove them from our lives, but he does promise to help us get through them.John 16:33“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.”1 Peter 4:12-13Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.Sometimes we may suffer for what we believe. Whether we are mocked, teased, ignored, or physically harmed, God notices and will reward us for our faith and loyalty.Psalm 23:4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.God sticks with us even in our most intense suffering.Isaiah 53:3He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.John 11:33-35When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.Hebrews 5:8Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.Jesus hurts when we hurt. He knows the depth of every pain. He not only cares, but he also shares our sorrows.

Question 3

Can any good come from my suffering?

Accepted Answer

Job 5:17-18“Consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal.”2 Corinthians 7:8-12I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right. My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us.Suffering can bring great renewal and healing if it drives us to God.2 Corinthians 12:10That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.Sometimes we suffer because we are dealing with the consequences of our sin. We can learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future. At other times, suffering occurs from hardships outside our control. During these times we have the opportunity to learn and grow, so take advantage of each opportunity. It will help us to deal better with suffering in the future, and it will teach us to recognize and avoid certain troubles down the road.Proverbs 10:25When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.Isaiah 33:2Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.Sometimes the suffering that comes to us through tragedy is not our fault. It just happens. We live in a fallen world where sin is often allowed to run its course, affecting both believers and nonbelievers alike (Matthew 5:45). God doesn’t want to see us suffer, but the great message of the Bible is that he promises to bring renewal, healing, and spiritual maturity through it so that we can be stronger and better equipped to help others and to live with purpose and meaning.Romans 5:3-4We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.2 Corinthians 1:5The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.2 Corinthians 12:10That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.2 Timothy 2:10So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.Hebrews 12:11No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.James 1:3-4You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.When suffering is for our good, Christ’s glory, and the building of his church, we should be content, even happy, to accept it.

Question 4

How do I stay close to God in times of suffering?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 22:24He [the Lord] has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.Isaiah 43:1-2Now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”We need to be aware that God has not abandoned us in times of suffering; he is standing with us during such times.Lamentations 3:32-33Though he [the Lord] brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.We need to recognize that God does not want to see us suffer. A loving God does not enjoy the suffering that comes our way. But his compassionate love and care will see us through our times of discipline and pain.Matthew 17:12“But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.”Luke 24:26“Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”We need to recognize that Jesus himself suffered for us. He suffered the agonies of the cross, which was not only incredible physical suffering, but he also bore the unthinkable weight of the sins of the world.Romans 8:17-18Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.Hebrews 2:18Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.Revelation 12:10-12Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”We need to recognize that suffering is not forever and will end when those who believe in Jesus are welcomed into heaven.Psalm 126:5-6Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.We need to recognize that suffering is not forever. In the dark hours of the night of suffering it is hard to think of a morning of joy and gladness. But the tears of our suffering are like seeds for our joy.

Question 5

What are God’s promises in the midst of suffering?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 43:1-2O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”We belong to the Lord. He knows us by name and will not allow anything to cause us eternal harm. We may go through deep waters of trouble and intense fires of trial and testing, but we will not go through them alone.Psalm 30:5His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.Psalm 126:5-6Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.Psalm 147:3He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.No experience in this life lasts forever. Sometimes the only thing that keeps us going is the reminder that this time of suffering will pass. Trust that one day we will look back and it will be a memory seen in the light of eternity. If we stay close to God, even our suffering can be a testimony to God’s faithfulness and a reason to rejoice in what he has done through the hard times and what he is going to do for us in the future.2 Corinthians 1:3-5All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 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. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.Suffering can make us more sensitive to God’s presence in our lives and also to the suffering of others.Romans 5:3-4We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.James 1:3-4You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.Suffering teaches lessons that we can learn no other way. When we look to the Lord, he promises to bring blessings out of hard times.Revelation 21:4He 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.God promises that all suffering will one day end. It will be no more. Without an eternal perspective, the suffering we experience in this world doesn’t make sense.Romans 8:38-39I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.The greatest comfort in life is knowing God will never leave us. Nothing can remove us from his presence. No matter what we are going through, he’s there to comfort, sustain, encourage, and direct us. First on the list of things that cannot separate us from God’s love is death. It is, for believers, merely the point of passage from time into eternity, from seeing through a dark glass into clarity; from knowing in part to fulling knowing as we are known.2 Corinthians 4:16-18That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.2 Corinthians 5:1-10We know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.Our constant temptation as humans is to limit our view of life to this world rather than remembering that God has actually planned and prepared an eternal life for us. We should ask God to help us see future glory as a weight that counterbalances all the troubles in this life.

Question 6

How can I respond to the suffering of others?

Accepted Answer

Job 2:11-13When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.Until they decided to explain Job’s suffering to him, his friends responded exactly as they should have, offering their silent, supportive presence to their suffering friend. The grief we suffer may pose agonizing questions, but those who suffer are rarely in a frame of mind to consider the possible reasons behind it. While a person sits in their suffering, we would be wise to be silent and resist trying to come up with explanations.1 Corinthians 12:26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.When one Christian suffers, it should hurt us all, for we are all members of Christ’s body—unified. If one part of our bodies hurt, sympathetic pain is felt throughout our bodies. So it should be in the body of Christ. If we know someone who is hurting, we should suffer along with that person in order to bring them comfort and hope.Luke 10:34“Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.”Galatians 6:2Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.We must seek to provide whatever practical support we can for a person who is suffering.Romans 12:15Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.Suffering people need empathy from others, not advice.

Question 7

Is there ever a time I should welcome suffering?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 4:7-15We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 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. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.2 Corinthians 12:10That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.2 Timothy 2:10So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.When something is for our good, Christ’s glory, and the building of his church, we should be willing to accept it and deal with it joyfully, even though it is suffering.