3 Stages of Suffering with God

Suffering is part of the will of God.  No really.  You read that correctly.  Suffering is part of God's perfect plan for your life.  The Bible says, "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (1 Peter 4:19).  

We may wonder why we suffer in this life, and we may never get all the answers we are looking for this side of heaven, but the fact remains that we will suffer.  The beautiful thing is that God uses our suffering to make us better.  That's why Jesus said "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  That's why the Apostle Peter writes, "After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."  That's why James adds, "Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."  

Since we know we will suffer, and we know it is part of God's perfect plan for our life, it's important for us to mature in our suffering.  I have learned in my Christian walk that I have gone through three stages of suffering.  Each stage has brought me closer to God and I believe every Christian is in one of these stages.  The first stage is commonly done by new believers in Christ, the second is done by growing believers in Christ, and the third is done by mature believers in Christ.  Our goal is to get to the third stage because that is when we will be able to worship God through our woes.  

The first stage of suffering is when we constantly ask God "why?"  We ask questions like "why am I going through this?" or "Where is God in this hurt?"  We can even begin to question why God exists or how a good God would allow us to go through such pain.  I remember early in my Christian life always asking these questions.  Ultimately I felt like I didn't deserve to suffer and so I questioned God's motives for making me go through it.  Over the years I have matured past this stage because I have seen God get me through so many circumstances.  He has been faithful.  He has been my ever present help in my time of need.  He has guided me through my pain.  When I suffer now, I no longer ask these questions.  

The second stage of suffering is when we constantly tell ourselves, "I give up."  As we grow in our walk with God, we no longer question whether He's there or why He's allowing us to hurt.  But oftentimes we replace those questions with self-pity.  Over the years I haven't questioned why God is allowing me to suffer, but I have asked God to take away the suffering.  I tell him I don't want to suffer, I don't have time to suffer, it's not a good season to suffer.  I look at it more as an inconvenience than anything else.  Unfortunately what I am doing is I am questioning God's work in my life.  I'm telling God he's wrong and he doesn't know what is best for me.  He should know I don't need to suffer right now.  But as I search the Scriptures, I discover that God is omniscient (meaning "all knowing"), omnibenevolent (meaning "all good"), and omnipotent (meaning "all powerful").  When you put those together, you realize that God knows what's best for you (omniscience), wants what's best for you (omnibenevolence), and will accomplish what's best for you (omnipotence).  Once I believe that by faith, I no longer plead with God to remove me from the hour of trial.

The third stage of suffering is when I tell God, "Help me get through this."  This is a sign of a mature walk with God.  When I stop questioning God, and stop pleading for Him to take away my season of suffering, I begin trusting him that he will get me through anything.  I can't say I have perfected this stage, but I find myself with this mindset more and more when I hurt.  I have found it to be incredibly freeing because I place all of my fears, anxieties, complaints, inconveniences, hurts, and pains at the cross of Christ and I realize He died to set me free from those things.  Any suffering that I go through is the best thing for me.  Instead of running from it, I now stand in it, trusting God every step of the way.  

If you are currently going through a season of suffering, then I would encourage you to cast all of your cares upon Jesus because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).  If you find yourself questioning God's motives, search the Scriptures and discover that God always has your best interest in mind.  If you find yourself running from your testings or trials, realize that your pain will still be there when you get back.  Instead confront the issues head on let God guide you through your circumstances.  If you find yourself telling God to help you endure, then you are in a very, very safe place.  

God bless,

Brian