Why does God put me through so much pain and suffering? Even if you aren’t a Christian, I’m sure you can understand the question. After all, most of us have asked it at one point or another in our lives.
Moreover, we have probably also pondered the related question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” This is another question most people including faithful Christians ask.
These questions are appropriate and deserve careful, honest answers. But before we explore what God’s word says about these difficult issues, let’s consider some bible characters who went through pain and suffering.
The Case Of Job.
If you are a person asking the question of why does God put me through so much pain and suffering, the best answer is found in the book of Job.
In the situation of Job especially in Job 1:1-22, God allowed Satan to test Job, and we see that Job was not perfect, he did make mistakes. Nevertheless, he maintained his faith in God throughout the tests.
Most people including many Christians today if they encountered the pain and suffering Job had will instantly give up their Christian faith and resort to blaming God as to why He allowed evil, pain and suffering in their life if He was loving.
At times, it may seem that God is not listening, or does not care about your pain or suffering. However, we cannot know what God knows.
When trials come we need to stay faithful, as Job did. We cannot know why things happen as they do, but we can trust in God even when we don’t understand why things happen as they do.
In such situations, fervent prayer is what will give you comfort and help you overcome your trials without giving up. Job never gave up on God because he prayed and trusted that in the end all will be well with him.
The Case of David.
David also went through many trials in his life and was a man after God’s own heart. He also questioned why God allowed so much pain and suffering in his life. In the powerful poem below, David pleads with God to rescue him from his troubles.
Here is a man who feels completely overwhelmed by the trials that he is facing. He boldly asks, “How long?” He then goes on to ask why he is experiencing so many troubles during this period of his life (Psalms 13:1-2).
Psalms 34:18 says “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” So, if you are perplexed with suffering, then that scripture is all you need to give you comfort.
We need to remember that God is not responsible for the pain or evil in our lives. He hates them just as much as we do. God does not inflict pain upon people for any reason (Job 5:17; Heb.12:6; 2 Cor. 7:6).
People sin and pain comes as a consequence of their sin (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). Pain may be a result of our own sin or the sins of others.
Either way, it is not from God (Ezek. 18:20; Matt. 13:38-39). God may allow pain in our lives to humble us and draw us closer to Him (2 Cor. 12:7-10; James 4:10), but this is done in love, not anger or resentment toward us.
5 Reasons God Allows Pain And Suffering.
Below are the 5 major reasons why God allows evil, pain and suffering in the life of faithful Christians that will help you understand that it’s for your own good in the end.
- To Test & Build Your Faith.
- To Draw Us Closer To Him.
- To Conform Us To The Image Of Christ.
- To Teach And Grow Us.
- To Demonstrate His Power And Glory.
1. To Test & Build Your Faith.
God will allow pain and suffering in your life to test and refine your faith. You must remember that it’s only during trials can your faith be made perfect.
If there were no trials in your life, your faith will be weak and superficial at best. In the old testament, we see in the case of Job and David that their faith was further strengthened and refined when God allowed trials in their lives.
Pain and suffering as ugly as they may look is what builds and establishes your faith in God. Trials also help you know if your faith is genuine or not as 1 Peter 1:7 tells us.
See Also: 13 Major Traits Of Genuine Faith [+ Wonderful Sermon].
2. To Draw Us Closer To Him.
Another major reason why God allows pain and suffering in the life of a Christian is so that we can draw even closer to Him which is why the Psalmist David said in Psalms 34:18 that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
And the reason why the Lord is close to the brokenhearted is that brokenhearted people are the ones who tend to earnestly seek the Lord wholeheartedly as opposed to people who seemingly have it all figured out in their life without any pain or suffering to make them remember God.
When things are going well in your life, it’s easy to forget God and where you came from but when evil, pain and suffering comes, they cause you to come close to God as you will realize and remember that only He can deliver you from all your troubles.
3. To Conform Us To The Image Of Christ.
God also allows pain and suffering in your life as a believer so He can conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ who also experienced pain and human suffering while on earth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the new testament also suffered great pain in His life especially when He died on the cross for our sins so that we can be saved. Through His death and resurrection, He showed us that we as well can overcome all the suffering in this world (John 16:33).
This is why Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:12-14 that if we suffer with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will reign with Him in heaven. We need to go through pain and suffering so that we can appreciate what our Lord Jesus Christ went through so that we can be like Him in character.
See Also: 13 Major Characteristics Of The New Nature Of Christ [+ Sermon].
4. To Teach And Grow Us.
God also allows pain and suffering so that we can learn more about him, ourselves, his plan for our lives, his provision and grace, the importance of prayer, etc.
You can’t grow in your Christian faith and in the Lord if God didn’t allow pain and suffering in your life which refine you which is why it’s during our greatest trials in life, we experience the greatest growth in our personal lives both spiritually and in the secular.
When we grow through trials, it makes us become like Christ in character which is why James 1:4 tells us that trials are what perfect and develop our faith so that we can lack nothing.
5. To Demonstrate His Power And Glory.
Last but not least, God allows pain and suffering so that He can use them to display his power and glory in our lives which can only be seen douring hard times.
You can only truly appreciate God’s power and glory only when you are going through pain and suffering in your life. Only then will the power and glory of God show its true value and worth.
This is why as a believer James 1:2-8 tells us to count it all joy when you encounter diverse trials in your life be it pain or suffering in your life as you will be rewarded and see God’s goodness, power and glory in the end.
Conclusion.
I hope the above post on the troubling question of why does God put me through so much pain and suffering will help you now understand that He allows evil, pain or suffering for your own good so that you can be established in Him.
Remember, all things be it pain or suffering in your life will work together for your own good in the end if you love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
In closing, if you found this post edifying to you, let me know in the comments below along with any questions you may have on what you’ve read. Stay blessed and don’t forget to share.
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