Suffering: A Taste of Bitter Pills

by Steve Kurtright

Have you ever noticed the apparent prosperity of wayward people? Ted Turner publicly mocks the Ten Commandments and still amasses a fortune in the cable industry. He lives in an expensive house, wears fine clothes, and hobnobs with the social elite.

Others, however, reverence the Bible, pray, go to church faithfully, financially support the work of God, and do their part in spreading the gospel. One day calamity upsets their even keel, despite their deep faith in God. Go figure.

This apparent disparity between the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of God's people isn't new. Centuries ago, a writer of the psalms with the strange name of Asaph observed "They [the wicked] have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. . . . Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence" (Psalm 73:4, 5, 13, NIV).

Asaph didn't have the best reaction to this observation: "My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (vv. 2, 3, NIV).

You may ask, "Why am I suffering? Why do othes get off scott-free while I plod along in my pain? Why do the righteous suffer?"

The Stuff of Suffering

Some of life's bitterest pills stick in the throats of tragic sufferers. There's the young woman stricken with multiple sclerosis or the high school graduate destroyed inch by inch from cancer or the small child whose strength is drained by a heart defect.

Then there's the toddler who endures the physical pain of abuse at the hands of a disturbed parent. What lesson is in the suffering of these individuals and their families? What is to be gained from the beatings a wife suffers at the hands of her drunken husband? What truths can be seen in the violent death of a loved one? What hopeful response is there to the parents of an infant found dead in his crib? What explanation can be offered to the parents of a tenyearold who is brain dead while undergoing minor surgery?

Are these situations God's will? Is God teaching or punishing?

Suffering for Christ

It will help if we realize not all suffering is alike. The Bible, in fact, describes two kinds of suffering:

• suffering for the cause of Christ;
• suffering because we live in an imperfect world.

The apostle Peter writes, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, . . . but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; . . . If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:12-14).

Persecution may come your way because of your commitment to Christ. (Read Paul's account of his service in 2 Corinthians 11:23 27.) However, Peter and Paul didn't cover broken transmissions, clogged plumbing, divorce, drug addiction, child abuse, or terminal illness. Peter and Paul refer only to suffering related to living the way of Christ.

Rewards

Peter further describes how this kind of suffering is rewarded: "the God of all grace . . . will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (l Peter 5:10).

When seen in the light of God's reward, suffering for the cause of Christ is positive and beneficial: "we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts . . ." (Romans 5:35).

Discipline

Suffering for Christ is also seen as discipline (Hebrews 12:7). This discipline identifies the believer as a legitimate child of God. It isn't punishment but direction and strength: "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet . . . afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (v. 11).

Paul expresses much the same thought, that our eternal future with Christ far exceeds any pain in our earthly life (Romans 8:17, 18). So when we suffer, we overwhelmingly conquer through Christ (v. 37).

Suffering in an Imperfect World

What about the times you are conquered by sufferings? Are such times initiated and overseen by God'?

Some would say yes, stating that God plans all tragedy either to teach a lesson or to make us more like Jesus. Others would insist that the righteous shouldn't suffer, and that if a person does experience hardships, then he should take a good look at his commitment to God.

This mode of thinking also says that if we are in right relationship with God, He protects us from all suffering. In such a Godprotected life, all airplanes would be divinely free of mechanical defects, pilot error, and weather conditions when a believer is on board. If this is the case, the world would love to have a believer in every hotel, plane, car, and home to ward off danger.

These explanations, however, do little if anything to ease the pain of losing a child to crib death, to heal bad marriages, to heal a family member of cancer or of a crippling heart attack. The question remains unanswered when it comes to the routine tragedy of life: Why did God allow this to happen to me? Or why did God cause this to happen to my family?

Concepts from Job

Job is the world's most famous sufferer. From the tragedies he endured, many concepts of suffering have emerged. Some of them are arrived at in error, such as the statement "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away" (Job 1:21).

When Job said this, he was referring to the losses he suffered: the death of his children and the loss of his livelihood. Nevertheless, Job is described as blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil (v. 1). Why would God cause such suffering in the life of one so righteous?

Maybe we should ask, was it God who took from Job? "Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him'" (v. 12).

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away" expressed how Job viewed the situation. Noble, yes. In all his suffering, Job neither blamed God nor sinned. Yet God had nothing to do with Job's suffering; it was Satan who brought the devastation!

Much of the suffering you and I experience is the direct result of our choices and of Satan's influence; it is not from God. Suffering death in its many forms was man's choice, not God's plan. His plan includes eternal life!

Vulnerability

As human beings, we are victims of tragedy and illness because of our vulnerability to it. Paul says our human bodies are perishable, dishonorable, weak, natural, and mortal. Victory over our current state comes only as the result of a future resurrection. Neither our faith nor our commitment can presently change it. "But when this perishable will have put on imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Until the resurrection, the righteous will be subject to the illnesses, weaknesses, and tragedies that naturally beset our fallen world. Despite this, our God's concern and love provide us with consolation, comfort, and hope.

Time and Circumstance

Consider Jesus' observation: "There were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered, . . . Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? . . . Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:1, 2, 4).

Jesus had been asked about the fate of those victims killed by Pilate, especially about their suffering. Was there a lesson for the widows and orphans left behind? No, Jesus indicated. If suffering were punishment for sins, there would be much more of it. The suffering of those folks was not a punishment nor a lesson for their families, but a matter of time and circumstance (see Ecclesiastes 9:11).

The same is true with many of the difficulties you and I experience. They are the result of human choice - namely, Adam's: "just as through one man sin entered the into world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men" (Romans 5:12).

Conclusion

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. . . . Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29, 31).

Jesus did not say the sparrow will not fall, but He did say that God is aware of its fall. You have a comfort in times of suffering. Understand, too, the difference in the trials you face in your walk with Christ. Determine the source of your affliction, whether it is for the cause of Christ or because of time and circumstance in this fallen world.

Paul reminds us that God is "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

God is the giver of life. Your trials are not necessarily a signal that God has forsaken you. God is the God of comfort and mercy. Many of the difficulties you face stem from the mere time and circumstance of a fallen world.

You may not have the material things of a Ted Turner, but you do have something he doesn't: the personal presence of the God of peace. Accept His invitation, given through His Son: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

A version of this article appeared in a past issue of the Bible Advocate magazine. For a free subscription, contact us at bibleadvocate@cog7.org Steve Kurtright is an instructor with Summit School of Theology. Scripture quotations were taken from the New American Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.

© 1997 General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day)