At my age, I believe people begin to be retrospective about the human condition. We have lived through wars—some of us have served in them—sickness, death, natural disasters. In one place we lived, the house was struck twice by lightning—I could go on, but you get the picture.
Here is the bottom line—this is the condition of mankind. It is a fact—if you have not suffered, you will.
We know that love and hate, cowardice and courage, good and evil, have always been. And they exist together as a part of life. The lives of those who suffer show us that any philosophy of faith that teaches that persons of faith should never have hardship is wrong. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In me you will have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The Lord allows suffering and gives us the opportunity to empathize with others who have been going through similar tragedies. Somehow God transforms our sorrows into a redeeming strength and helps us use it to encourage other sufferers.
The answer is that we have a Savior, an ally, a helper. Read Psalm 18. We are invited into the fellowship of His suffering. We have someone to suffer with. Sometimes trials are allowed to us do that we can be qualified through experience to be the comfort of our brothers who are faltering. It isn’t chance, fate, carelessness, or even necessarily the devil. But God can use our trials to comfort and help others.
The world only has a question mark when it comes to the problems that confront us. The answer lies in and with God. And with His time, He’ll give an answer.
Jesus presented himself as the answer to all of the ills that torment.
Thoughts From the Garden 