Jeffrey C. Long

This is a sermon that I recently preached at the Filer Mennonite Church, in Filer Idaho.

Suffering is a part of life common to all of us. For some it occurs with greater frequency and greater intensity. For others it is milder and less common. Nonetheless suffering is common to mankind.

It can take many forms. A few years ago, a friend of mine gradually began to move farther and farther away in his relationship with me. I tried many things to bridge the gap, but still he was distant. I suffered at the loss of this relationship.

I have another close friend who spent years dealing with chronic pain problems that were mysterious to the doctors treating him. He is to me the virtuous example of someone suffering yet throwing themselves into the hands of God. His whole life was crumbling around him. And yet, at the bottom, he salvaged a faith that I believe is more meaningful then my own.

Other areas that can cause suffering in our life are divorce, depression, loss of a loved one, poverty and even martyrdom for our faith.

It is so important for us to work through how we are going to handle the suffering that is going to impact our life? In his book “Learned Optimism” , Martin Seligman describes how rats and humans learn to be helpless. “When either rats or humans experimentally learn that they have no control over their environment, they give up trying to exert control.” Suffering is an area where we can learn to believe that we have no control over our environment and eventually give up exerting control. To put it briefer: Suffering can create habits of futility.

Ultimately, how we handle suffering is determined by what we believe about our relationship with God. The most common criticism of God is how He can be a loving God yet permit suffering in the world. I believe that this is so common because we have an innate sense that there is a relationship between our suffering and our relationship with God.

We assume that there are rules that govern our relationship with God. “Should I be able to expect that He will protect me from suffering if I’m obedient?” Or, “should I expect suffering if I am unfaithful to Him?”

John 9 tells the story of a man who was born blind and whom the disciples assume was either born in sin, or his parents must have been sinners. They connect suffering with this man’s relationship to God via the sin in his life. Everyone, including the disciples, and the pharisees assumes that this must have been the cause of his blindness. Even the man and his parents don’t refute the belief. That’s because it was common at that time to believe that a person’s relationship with God was determined by their ability to live a sin-free life. And suffering was a common sign that God had cursed a person for being a sinner.

It was even a part of their scriptures. I Maccabes 2:51, one of the books that fits inbetween the Old and New Testaments writes “Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness?” This completely contradicts Jesus’ and later Paul’s teaching that it was grace through faith that reckoned a man right before God.

As a result of the following of this teaching, this man’s suffering must have been a result of his breaking his relationship with God through sin.

I think it is important for us to pause here and meditate on the fact that everyone believed this.

I think this is the common way for us to think about our suffering. “There must be something wrong with my relationship with God. Perhaps I have sin in my life. Maybe I have prayed enough. Maybe I need to read the Bible more.” Even worse, when we think we have covered all of our bases, the thought begins to loom in the back of our minds that perhaps God is aloof, or perhaps is playing with us.

Romans 5 answers this problem for us.

1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us–they help us learn to endure. 4And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. 5And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Paul is here teaching that unlike the belief of the disciples and the teaching of the Pharisees, we achieve right standing with God not through our works or through our being perfect, but rather by grace through faith.

If we believe like the disciples that we achieve right standing in God’s sight through our works, then like the disciples, suffering will be a sign to us that we are outside of God’s favor.

But if we believe that Jesus and Paul that we achieve right standing in God’s site through His grace, by faith then suffering no longer means we’ve done something wrong. Or that God is doing something to us.

Instead, suffering is transformed into an opportunity that can produce endurance, character and hope.

Many of us know this to be true intellectually, but when suffering comes, we become like the disciples and think that either we’re doing something wrong, or God is doing something wrong.

In order to help us stay on the right track, I have 3 things I believe can help us remember that suffering is a reason to rejoice, and not a reason to believe that God is judging us.

First, Review the times you’ve made it through the cycle of suffering. Even in small areas of your life. Did it produce endurance? Strength of character? Hope? Rejoice! Reviewing thankfulness to God for the things he’s done in our life is one of the most powerful weapons we have against feelings of futility.

Second, rest in the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Verse 5 of Romans 5 says “Hope will not disappoint us, for we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with love.” The Holy Spirit is the badge that proves that God loves us. When we are suffering, we need to rest in the Holy Spirit and let Him fill our hearts with live.

Lastly, pay attention to your relationship with people who are suffering. it is so easy for us to try and fix people. But when we do, we affirm the wrong notion that it’s their actions that have caused their suffering. Instead, we need to lovingly be present in their pain and remind them that God has given them right standing before Him through His grace through our faith.

I hope that this helps you to understand better any suffering you may be going through. I encourage you to leave comments so that we can make this a discussion. Blessings, Jeffrey