The problem of suffering and the questions that attend it are as old as mankind’s fall. Suffering of every kind and description assail us daily. Wars. Tornadoes. Death. Illness. Inclusion in the “fellowship of suffering” has taught me at least one thing—that if you have not suffered, you will.
Jesus says that He has come with the “balm of Gilead” to heal the hurts of human hearts. We know that with certain kinds of sorrow, such as mourning over our own sins and the sins of others, only Jesus can ease that pain by forgiveness and healing. To mourn over your own condition, along with the condition of others, is to manifest God’s life. For God suffered.
There is an answer to the “why?” The answer from the Book is that we have someone to suffer “with.” One of the saddest things about it is the aloneness we feel as we go through it.
BUT! What if God came along, as a Fellow and as a leader, and laid Himself alongside my every experience? And what if God showed Himself capable of suffering? In seeing that, would I not be bound forever to Him? That is why we are blessed when we go through times of pain. It shows us a side of God we might not ever realize in good times. When we face sorrow, bringing all of our Christian character into play, it can be a powerful witness to point other people to Jesus Christ. Sorrow can bless! It is one of life’s best teachers, though not a popular, sought-after one! Those times are when God proves His love to us, when we see God’s loving hand in all our circumstances, good times and bad times.
I was reading in a newspaper that the columnist Dan Carpenter penned for a great artist who had just died. His life had been full of suffering. Carpenter writes, “He reminds me of an old, old solitary tree that has stood through a thousand storms and still arrays itself in green every Spring. It seemed as though he showed every scar ever inflicted on him; yet the beauty he produced never failed to prevail. He stayed right where he was, and he soared.”
Praise God, beloved friends, we can soar! Let us recognize God’s hand through our sufferings, know Him as our Father, and realize that through what we consider to be trials, God is forming our character, and making us worthy citizens for the kingdom of God!
Nahum 6, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those that trust in Him.”
Thoughts From the Garden 