Why Do We Suffer?
Why do bad things happen to good people? This question has plagued believers for millennia. As far back as Job’s misguided friends, people have always assumed that if we suffer, we suffer because we have sinned or failed in some way. Yet, scripture never attempts to hide the truth that suffering has a place in every believer’s life. Each of us will face trials, temptations, accusations and attitudes less than friendly and accepting. The very nature of our belief in the One True God sets us at odds with those who want to worship themselves and chase after their own ways of thinking. Because we were created in God’s image, there is a part of us that instinctively knows God is truth. When a life is not ready to give up their control to their Maker, they don’t want to be reminded of the sticker on their soul which reads “Property of God Almighty”.
Peter was hardly a stranger to suffering. Because of his experiences, we can take his words as wisdom. He promises us that trials will come. Some will be worse than others, but all of them serve a purpose. Verse 12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Peter tells us why good people suffer. He wrote “to prove you”. The actual word he used was peirasmos which means “to test man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, and constancy. Faith that is not tested is merely hope. Tested faith is certainty. We suffer because we are holy, living in a world of debauchery, but we also suffer for the strengthening of our faith. Weakness is not punishment but rather an opportunity to see God’s strength.
Whatever you are facing, know without a doubt that God is in control. Whether your present is good or hard, God is in control. When we suffer because of our faith, we hold Christ up for the world to see. When we suffer despite our faith, we learn what it means to be held up by Christ. Faith that struggles is stronger because it tests the strength of God’s hands. Trials of the past prove God’s faithfulness so that the struggles of the future do not steal our joy and peace. Why do we suffer? Because even in the darkest of nights, there is beauty for those who trust in the Lord.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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