“But there is the promise in the midst of this suffering that it’s never meaningless. It’s never random. We tend to look for big answers that are personal and singular in terms of that question why? And sometimes we look all over to find an answer to that question why? when the Scriptures themselves have lots of answers for us.”

Anticipate Suffering

To be a Christian doesn’t mean that we will never have to suffer. Sometimes we have the idea that once we join ourselves to Christ, somehow he is on our team, and he’s going to protect us from anything hard happening. Actually, the Bible tells us over and over again that we should expect to suffer. God doesn’t save us from experiencing the brokenness of this world.

Your Suffering Isn’t Meaningless

But there is the promise in the midst of this suffering that it’s never meaningless. It’s never random. We tend to look for big answers that are personal and singular in terms of that question why? And sometimes we look all over to find an answer to that question why? when the Scriptures themselves have lots of answers for us.

Hebrews 12 talks about how God disciplines us. It says that his discipline is for our good. Then it describes what that good is—it tells us in Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

So there’s a purpose: that there would be a fruit developed in the midst of our suffering, this fruit of righteousness.

In James 1 it says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

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