Back in October, I had the chance to speak on the topic of dealing with suffering and trials. From what I can remember, things were pretty different back then both for the church and in the world. We were allowed to have up to a hundred people join us live on Sundays, so it was nice to gather for those who were able even though we had to social distance and mask. The summer had just ended, where we’d seen coronavirus cases drop to an all-time low.
While that message on suffering and trials was definitely relevant then, I think it has become even more relevant now! Over the past couple of weeks I’ve looked back at my message notes a few times, trying to better understand what God was trying to teach me about dealing with suffering.
To give a little recap, I spoke about Job and how he dealt with the suffering he went through. Job was a man who was tested like no other. He lost his belongings, his help, his children, and even his health. He wrestled deeply with God, and had some big questions–why am I righteous, but suffering? Why do evil people prosper when I’ve lost everything?
There’s a few things we can learn from that story. First, we all face trials and hard times in our lives, and it’s not because of how good or bad we are. Just because we’re facing hard times doesn’t mean God is punishing us or that we’ve done something wrong. Second, there aren’t always clear answers and reasons to why we go through hard times. In the end, Job never got an answer from God about why he was suffering so badly. There are simply some questions we won’t get answers to.
Last and most importantly, I think God has a question for us. When difficult times come, will we continue to be faithful to Him? Will we continue to believe that God is faithful and good, even when we don’t know why we’re suffering, and we aren’t getting the answers we desperately want? Will we still believe that God loves us, will be faithful to us, and is working for our good, even when our circumstances are the opposite?
Job was troubled by these very questions and even faced his own moments of doubt. But in the end (Job 42:1-8) he still “speaks correctly” about God, and God honors Job for that. May we continue to be faithful to God and believe in His goodness, care, and love for us even in our difficult circumstances. May we still find ways to worship a good, good Father though we don’t have the answers. May we hope in God because, “This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5).