THE RECYCLING OF SUFFERING

Have you ever wondered why bad things can happen to God’s people? Many people actually believe that identifying as a Christian is reason enough to get a free pass from things going awry in this life. Afterall, they postulate, God wouldn’t allow His children to be hurt or have to suffer.

This mindset couldn’t be more off--biblically speaking. In fact, most people that think this way have a thin theology where they presume their thoughts are God’s thoughts or their ways should be God’s ways. And thin theology doesn’t hold the weight of life’s unexpected tragedies.

That’s why, as believers in a faithful God, we must develop a thick theology, which means we may not have a WHY for the WHAT, but we can trust the WHO no matter WHAT. Knowing God is sovereign is knowing nothing can touch our life without passing through the scarred hands of Jesus Christ. And those hands can be trusted! "My times are in Your hands" (Psalm 31:15.)

I know very well that when we look at the Biblical issue of suffering that these are hard concepts to understand and digest. But because of the promises that are held within the pages of God’s Word, it is the precise truth that we can stand under when faced with suffering. From the suffering that results as a consequence from our sinful hands, to the suffering that exists due to the echo of a fallen land, both are recycled and used in God’s redeeming plan.

Ask Moses about the wandering in the wilderness which ultimately led to a people learning dependence. Ask David about the suffering that he sinfully caused due to pride, but make sure you let him tell you about the resulting brokenness of heart that God didn’t despise. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Ask Job about the unbelievable tragedies he faced, but make sure you stick around to hear about what makes up having an unbreakable faith—“I know my Redeemer lives!” (Job 19:25)

One more for good measure—ask Paul and Silas how they were able to praise God through such abounding pressure. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).

You see, the harsh reality of the preceding case studies is that the pathway to blessedness must humbly pass through brokenness. And when one surrenders their broken state into the hands of a sovereign God, the end result is victory and restoration. And while the world may throw away what’s broken, God looks to pour into such vessels because they are finally open.

Not only is there beauty in brokenness, but there’s also divine purpose in suffering. Again, these biblical truths may be hard to swallow, but according to the paradox of the Gospel, joy is often produced through the vein of sorrow. To that end—when we look through the lens of the Word, we will begin to develop thick theology because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Yes, this world is fallen and produces a cycle of suffering. But greater than that is knowing our God is sovereign and by Him we see the recycling of suffering.

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