Suffering ...

“Every burden prepares you for eternity.” – Basilea Schlink

Why Suffering?

Why does God allow suffering? God is not the reason for suffering. In the beginning, Satan and 1/3rd of the angels rebelled and have since been opposed to everything about God, so Satan is certainly responsible for much of the suffering in the world, but our first parents, Adam and Eve, started it all with the fall in the Garden of Eden. That’s when death entered the picture and will still be around until God vanquished death for all time (Rev 21:5).

Good from Evil

God can use evil for His own purposes, and He can actually bring good out of evil (Gen 50:20. All we need do is to look at the cross to see how much good came from such terrible evil (John 3:16). For those who look to Christ, He has plans for them in eternity, but until then, they and we still face plenty of evil in this world. It shouldn’t shake us though because someday all of this will be gone forever (Rev 21:5).

Brings us to our Knees

If a burden causes us to fall to our knees, then we’re using that burden for good purposes. It humbles us so that we can cry out to God for help. This creates a bridge between us and God. The cross ended our separation from God that our sins had caused (Isaiah 59:2) by Jesus’ own life as He reconciled us back to God.

Makes us Yearn for the Kingdom

Did you realize that the creation itself is in bondage? Everything in the world and in space is decaying and passing away, but someday “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:21), so “we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Rom 8:22), and “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). That day is coming my friends.

Prepares us for Eternity

We know that whatever we are going through today cannot compare with the glory that’s coming (Rom 8:18), and no matter what we go through in this life, it will all work out perfectly according to God’s purpose (Rom 8:28), so every burden we have is simply working in us to prepare our hearts for eternity when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).

Conclusion

Every burden today is preparing us for eternity and an infinite number of “tomorrows.” That’s why God allows, but does not cause, suffering. That’s why He uses evil for good. Burdens bring us to our knees so that we’ll yearn for eternity, and today, these are preparing us for an indescribable future in the presence of God.

by Jack Wellman

Picture: Pixabay

Prayer

"You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from

trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

--Psalm 32:7

Thank you Father!

For You are my hiding place! Help me to turn to You ... to run

to You. Preserve me from trouble as I hide in the shelter of Your

wings. I praise You for surrounding me with songs of deliverance.