Suffering is not punishment, it is opportunity.

“God wants the whole person and He will not rest till He gets us in entirety. No one part of the man will do.”  

-A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God 

Why does God allow suffering? 

I have been asked this question a lot in the past year and have been challenged in so many ways to understand this question, “Why does God allow suffering?”. What they are actually asking me is “Why isn’t there just a free pass? Why can’t I be comfortable and still Godly?” My question to them is “Is there anywhere in the bible that tells you it is going to be easy and there is no pain in this world?” The thing that I have observed is that in American thinking, suffering is the worst thing that can happen. It’s almost as if you have to be rejected by the Lord before suffering takes place. The thing that is surprising to most is, through suffering we have an opportunity to show Christ's joy and hope in your life, and to proclaim to this world that Christ isn't just something in our lives, but everything!

Ultimately it is for His glory alone that we live and breathe. If our heart is in a place of true humility and set for the sole purpose of understanding God and his plan for our lives, then we
will truly be able to serve Christ and give him the praise he deserves in every situation we encounter. That’s why in Acts 5:41-42 it talks about the disciples in this way, “They left the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” What caused them to rejoice? The fact that it wasn’t about them but about magnifying Jesus, and being counted as faithful followers of Him. They knew there was no shame in telling the truth and suffering for the sake of Christ. Living in an American culture We have a tendency to paint God as a precious friend, or a forgiving loving God and forgetting all the attributes that are assigned to God as well. Yes, God is loving, and a Friend, but He is also your sovereign creator, and knows your heart better than you do. We must accept the fact that maybe the best way we are to grow in spirituality and Christlikeness is through trials, & suffering, or maybe even physical decay. The fact of the matter is God knows best and we do not. That might sound harsh but it is true. God has called us to a higher calling than serving ourselves, we are here to be mouthpieces for his praise. I love how Elizabeth Elliot said it, she said, “Let us not be Pharisees in our certainty of what God could or could not permit” This means we cannot be hypocrites and think that we can know God's sovereign plan. I Like to think that every time we try to explain God we must steer away from putting God in a box but instead see that we are small mouth pieces,
that He chooses to use, or not use, according to His will. God has shown me through trials
that if you are a Christian and truly following God, your life is meant for nothing less than
serving Him alone; We are here to show Christ, and to be completely emptied of ourselves so that he can fill us completely!

“Your Flesh won’t sit still for meditation and prayer any more than a
wolverine would submit to your surgery. The flesh resists with all its last breath
anything that smacks of God, because It suffocates in his presence.” Kris Lundgaard.

Humans are selfish and we strive to be noticed listened too and influential, but peace
comes when we see that our plans will never compare to God and his sovereign
reign. When we can submit ourselves entirely to the will of God, things in life return to their correct place. So, to answer the question “why does God allow suffering?” Through my experience and my understanding of scripture I would say, because through it we are forced into a moment where we have to rely on God to sustain us, and in that moment, we are able to practice being nothing so that Christ can be everything! This does not mean that we are unimportant or useless, on the contrary as we learn to be like Christ and submit ourselves entirely to His will, we become warriors ready to take all the snares and traps that the devil tries to use on us. We can be sure that in all our circumstances, however painful, or however joyful they may be, Christ can, and will, use them to fulfill His will in our lives, to praise of His glory!

Written by Josh Lytle