We all suffer. Either we just experienced suffering, we are currently suffering, or we will soon be suffering. It’s an unpreventable part of life. We will suffer. I have always considered the times of suffering in my life as attacks of Satan.. but are they? It now seems to me that that’s not entirely true.
Satan loves to see Christians suffer. He longs to see pain in followers of Christ. He feeds on the tears of believers. He rejoices in our suffering.
Those are the thoughts I used to believe. However, as I have gotten older I can look back on my past sufferings and see that wasn’t always the case. Satan couldn’t have rejoiced in my pain because it was those times of suffering that often brought me closer to God. How could Satan be happy about that? My pain and suffering usually led to peace and joy in the presence of God.
If you are a believer, or been around the church for a while, you have probably heard a sermon or message on suffering. The same message was always thrown at me. I can remember growing up and hearing pastors say things such as “rejoice in your suffering” or “be happy in times of tribulations” or “count it joy when you face trials” and I always tuned them out. That didn’t make sense to me. No mentally sane person can rejoice in suffering. If you are happy when hard times hit then I genuinely do question your sanity. Suffering isn’t fun. It’s miserable. It’s sad. It’s painful. The last thing I want to do in times of suffering is be happy. When I heard sermons like this I immediately zoned out and ignored them, and that’s why I missed the true message behind those sermons.
Christ hasn’t called us to rejoice because of the pain brought on by suffering, he calls us to rejoice in the peace that can follow the pain. He calls us to rejoice in the lessons learned, the healing received, and the patience produced by our suffering. Looking back on my life some of the times I was closest to God were following times of suffering. Immediately following some of the worst moments of my life I was near to God. So many instances that I labeled as “attacks of Satan” led me to God. In those times of suffering my weaknesses were revealed. My life felt like it was in pieces and my heart was full of sorrow. But.. it was those feelings that always directed me back to God.
Where do you turn when you feel like you have no where to turn? Where do you look when it seems as if the whole world is out to get you? Where do you run when you feel afraid? Who do you turn to when you feel lonely? For me, that answer has always been God. My suffering often caused me to turn to God. How could that be workings of Satan? It almost seems like the suffering was brought on by God. Why couldn’t God just spare me of all my suffering? My answer was this: God often likes to work through the suffering of his children rather than sheltering them from the pain of suffering.
The joy of suffering is not found in the suffering itself but from what suffering can produce. God is not calling us to be happy when we experience pain. It’s ok to grieve the loss of a loved one. It’s ok to cry over a fatal diagnosis. It’s ok to weep when your heart is broken. It’s ok to seek the shoulder of someone you love when turmoil hits. God has not called us to ignore pain and just smile through it. He calls us to seek His presence in the midst of our suffering and trust Him to deliver us and mend us.
I never thought I would be thankful for times of suffering but I am. I am not thankful that I had to suffer but I am tremendously thankful for God’s grace that saw me through those times and made me better. If I had the ability to erase suffering from this world as a whole, I dont think I would. Pain isn’t pleasurable but the lessons learned and the peace of God I have experienced because of my suffering has made me a better man and a better Christian.
Don’t miss the point here, as I often did when I was younger. Rejoice in suffering. Heed the words of James 1:2 and consider it joy when you face trials. But how? Well, that’s the hard part. There are no magical words I can give you, or a quick fix I can offer you. I will say this, when suffering comes don’t try to force a smile or force yourself to be happy. Grieve. Cry. Let out a scream or two. Seek the counsel and encouragement of a loved one. Spend time in God’s presence and in God’s word. Pray. Pray some more. And pray even more than that. Know that the joy of suffering is not found in the midst of the storm but from the fruits produced by the storm. God is with you and He will see you through.
There are many ways God uses suffering for our good but the most prevalent product of suffering in my life has been the resulting nearness to God I feel after I suffer. There is a joy in God that I have felt only after suffering, a joy that only suffering can produce. I am weak, have been broken, and have been troubled but God takes all of that and in return gives me His power, His redemption, and His peace. I am so thankful I have finally discovered the true joy of suffering.
