Why am I suffering?

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.