The sufferer and the witness reading list

As the LordВ of true comfort, we are to see our pain as вЂњpreparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparisonвЂќВ (2 Cor. Paul declares that God вЂњcomforts us in all our afflictions,вЂќВ adding:В вЂњFor as we share abundantly in ChristвЂ™s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort tooвЂќВ (2 Cor.

This world is not our home, and the afflictions we experience along the way serve as arrows directing us to release whatвЂ™s fadingВ and grasp whatвЂ™s unending. 11:13) here on earth, journeying toward the ultimate city. 5:29).ДЄs Christians, the afflictions we experience in this life should point us to the reality that weвЂ™re вЂњsojourners and exilesвЂќВ (1 Pet. Sometimes, God will simply removeВ those treasures for our greater good В itвЂ™sВ better to lose an eye than for your whole body to land in hell (Matt. Then, he said, you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give it to the poor.

God also uses suffering to wean us from a love of this world and redirect our thoughts and affections toward that which isВ eternal: вЂњSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earthвЂќВ (Col. To Relinquish the Temporal for the Eternal

When affliction falls on a community of believers, they are knitВ together more tightly. He will also use his church to spur his peopleВ on and be the context in which iron sharpens iron (Prov. God doesnвЂ™t just helpВ mortify our sin, though he alsoВ cultivatesВ godliness whereby weвЂ™re conformed increasinglyВ into ChristвЂ™s image. When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin, he responded with Psalm 51.В Suffering serves as a cleanser, revealing and killingВ our present sin, and deterring us from greater sin. King David saw a woman bathing, sent for her, slept with her,В then had her husband killed. In doing so, though,В we are freed to refocus our primary love on him alone. If weвЂ™re prone to love something in this world-house, spouse, children, job-more than God, he may sometimesВ remove the idol. Sometimes itВ reveals my lack of faith in GodвЂ™s promises.В IВ begin questioning God: How could you let this happen? Though theВ suffering itself isnвЂ™t evil, it illuminates the evilВ residing within me. When IвЂ™ve faced suffering, IвЂ™ve responded with anger. Pain has a way of crackingВ open the heart, laying it bare. When we suddenly bear an affliction, our pride, impatience, and unbelief will oftenВ surface. God uses suffering to expose the sin that clings so closely to our hearts. If youвЂ™ve trusted in Christ as the Savior and Lord of your life, you can rest in the truth that your afflictions and sufferings come to you for your ultimate good and his ultimate glory.Д«ut letвЂ™sВ look at fourВ specific biblical reasons why God ordains suffering for his people. We need to understand this so our feet land on the solid foundation of GodвЂ™s Word and the God of that Word-and thereВ find understanding and hope. WeвЂ™ve lost an understanding of the reality of suffering as a consequence of the fall and neglected to seeВ how God overrules evil for his greater purposes. One of the great tragedies of the American church is that weвЂ™ve lost a biblical theology of suffering-one that centers on the glory, goodness, and sovereignty of God. Maybe youвЂ™re in the throes of affliction, or maybe youвЂ™re trying to minister to someone who is. We cannot handle the harsh reality of suffering, so we hide behind the virtual walls of social media, where we pretend our hearts are safe from rejection, grief, and the evil вЂњout there.вЂќ YetВ all the whileВ you and I know itвЂ™s there, itвЂ™s real, and itвЂ™s painful. We cloak funerals as вЂњcelebrationsвЂќ and convey the empty promise that all people end up inВ heaven (except Hitler and StalinВ perhaps). Our culture, unfortunately, strives to deny the reality of suffering and death, and weВ continuallyВ long to drink from the fountain of youth-expressed in our endless pursuit of Botox treatments, anti-aging cream, cosmetic surgeries, and hair dyes. When tragedy strikes-the death of a child, hurricanes, a school shooting-we begin looking for an escape from the pain, a way out, or we clamor for answers from a panel of religious вЂњexpertsвЂќ to explain the ever-present questionВ вЂњWhy?вЂќ We want answers, and we want to believe that our suffering is not meaningless.

The sufferer and the witness reading list