Why do good people suffer?
(“The Mystery of Innocent Suffering”)
Then Job began to tear his
cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon
the ground, and said,
“Naked I came forth from my
mother’s womb and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD
has taken away;
blessed be the name of the
LORD!”
In all this Job did not
sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.
~ Job 1: 20-22
Why do good
people suffer in this world? Have you ever taken the time to imagine the
countless examples of folks who tried their best to love God and love mankind
get ripped, torn and devastated by calamities that ordinarily where considered to
befall only the evil ones?
The book of Job
is the story of a good man who suffers untold calamities! Job lost everything; all
his children and property were gone and as if these were not enough, he was
afflicted with a nauseating disease. According to the Jewish tradition and
belief, such calamities only happen to an individual that sinned against God
and also wicked to his neighbors. Job friends contended as such and refused to
listen to his explanation that the punishment he was undergoing was not based
on his infidelity to God nor was he wicked to man.
He cannot
understand how God can let so much evil happen to one like himself- considering
the fact that Job has been an unusually good and righteous man by the standard
of his era. Consequently he boldly challenged God! In the midst of this “desert
or dry season” experiences Job did not lose faith, but anxiously hope for God’s
justification and restoration. In conclusion, Job learned that God is greater
than the way traditional religion has limited his essence and he was restored
according to the promises of the almighty, whereas his friends were reprimanded
by God for their lack of understanding.
Comfort
It is very easy
to serve the Lord our God when things are very comfortable with us! In the
midst of well paid job, beautiful family and profession and excellent career
progressions, good health of body and mind and abundance of opportunities to
amass wealth, authority and positions, it is not difficult to praise and
believe in the existence of a loving, compassionate and merciful God. These
were the kind of scenarios that Job was living in prior to the Devil challenging
his faith in God.
Trials and tribulations
Imagine, one day
you wake up and behold, the car is gone, followed by the house, and then the
multiple bank accounts are being closed at a rate faster than you can bear, and
if these were not enough, you lost your health insurance, your unemployment
benefits if any at all is gone, no life insurance, no bank savings and on top
of these, you are required to pay for utilities? What will you do? This is the
same you that was recognized by all as a generous, compassionate and kind
person; one that people come to for help such as in paying their children school
fees, assisting with mortgage, car and utilities payments. However at the moment
you are now struggling to live above the water! Take a moment and ask yourself, how
easy will it be for me to serve God and recognize that God loves me and want
the best for me?
Serving God
under these kinds of circumstances can be very challenging on various fronts:
Perception: Even in our temporary society, many still hold
the belief that when a man of comfort fall from grace to grass, there must have
been something very bad going on in his life that the outside world are
oblivious to, but never hidden from the almighty God. In most cases you find
out that YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN- meaning, even some of your friends and families
will desert you and will have nothing to do with you because to them, you must
have been living a latent life of evil and your comfort was derived from
devilish machination that have come back to haunt you!
Relationship:
At a moment like this, your relationship with
your God is greatly challenged too! How can a God who is so merciful, kind and
compassionate, so loving and understanding allow me to go through this pain?
Where is my God, answer me O Lord might as well form the cornerstone of your
conversation with your God. However the truth be told, our God is unchangeable,
meaning he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, unlike us who are readily
and easily changed as a result of human nature. Where do you stand in your
relationship with God when the going is tough and life seems meaningless?
Moreover, during
trials and tribulations, we have seen over and again how friends and even some
family members desert or run away from you or even encourage you to do
something that you would never have imagined. These advises may come from their
good heart and desire to help restore your glory, nevertheless, how do you
relate such prompting with your understanding of God’s will in your life?
Prayer: Every
good act offered to God is prayer and therefore, prayer is
not only when we communicate with God, but also whenever we engaged in doing
something that is good before God and man! During trials and tribulations, it
can therefore be very difficult to pray. When you don’t know whether you will
be able to pay the bills, live in your house, pay for the children school fees,
support your extend families and friends and contribute to your local churches
or place of faith, it is hard to pray with the mindset that our God is a
loving, compassionate and infinitely merciful one that will always provide for
our needs based on his divine providence.
Suffering (The message of Jesus Christ)
God did not
intend that our “suffering” should become a hurdle in our lives especially in
our relationship with him. On the contrary, suffering is a form of purity of
body and most importantly the soul, bearing in mind that our life does not end
when we die, but actually transition into the glorious form of either eternal
life for the one who follows the ordinances of God or eternal damnation for the
evil man.
Jesus Christ is
the epitome of suffering and the grace that abound whenever we offer our
suffering to the almighty God with the faith, hope and trust that our God’s
love is so infinite that he will never allow anything that is not good for our
body and soul to befall us.
It is not all
suffering that comes from God, for instance when you suffer because of a
foolish decision or in clear disobedience to the will of God, you will not gain
anything other than perpetual pain. The same is applicable to the law of the
land intended to protect man and property.
The suffering
that I am most concern is that which Job experienced because of his service to
the almighty God. If for any reason you suffer because you are trying to do the
right thing before God, your rewards are guaranteed before the almighty.
So what are some
of the attributes that we can gain in the midst of divine suffering?
Obedience: We
all can learn obedience through suffering as Jesus Christ did! Even though he
was the Son of God he learned obedience to his heavenly Father’s will and agree
to become the sacrificial lamb that brought mankind eternal salvation.
Humility: Suffering
can teach us how to be humble of heart too! The humility attribute of suffering
is not the same thing as humiliation; because God will never forsake nor abandon
those obey his commands.
Wisdom: In
the book of Job, he said “But God teaches men through suffering and uses
distress to open their eyes.” A blind man or person in this context is the fool
who can never comprehend either the nature of God or his eternal plans for
humanity and can become easily disillusioned as a result of his suffering.
Christ-like
nature: Suffering produces endurance, endurance
brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope is in the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and of which by faith we attest to and
look forward to after our life here on earth.
Are you suffering?
Are you
undergoing your “desert” or “dry season” or “suffering” experiences today? Is
life outlook so unbearable for you today? Do you feel you are being punished
unjustly? Are you feeling hopeless and helpless because of the circumstances
that are weighing you down and almost becoming unbearable?
Are you
compelled to ask, “Why me?” Well you are not alone! I know of a guy who try his
best, did everything that the law wanted from him and unfortunately ran into an
attorney who not only caused him a fortune, but regrettably did not provide the
required services. As a result for over three years, this guy has been without
employment and is now practically living like a beggar. What do you want such a
fellow to do? Reject and disobey God? Follow the advice of so some of his
caring friends and engage in illegal activities just to make money?
Life means more
than living on earth! Our faith in God prove beyond reasonable doubt that there
is life after death and God in his infinite love and goodness once again
reached out to man from heaven by sending his Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ to die for us and pave the way for eternal life.
Will you rather
live a sumptuous life in this short lived life on earth or endure some
suffering in order to gain eternal life in the Kingdom of God?
Are you willing
to be the “Job” of your generation?
Love and Life
Then Job answered the LORD, “I know,
LORD, that you are all-powerful: that you can do everything you want. So I am
ashamed of all I have said and repent in dust and ashes.” The LORD blessed the
last part of Job’s life even more than he had blessed the first. (Job 42: 1, 2,
6, 12)
Today God want
us to choose love and life instead of hate and death! The suffering you are
going through is not meant to kill you, but to transform you into a vessel that
will bring glory to the almighty God. Do not fight your trials and tribulations
with anger, doubt and frustrations; rather offer them up to the Lord our God in
prayer with a joyful anticipation of a glorious end, as Job did!
Prayer
Dear heavenly
Father,
Please guide me
through the cross that I carry today.
Help me to focus
on Jesus Christ’s suffering and learn to be obedient to your holy will.
Above all, grant
me your grace to be patient, to persevere and endure my situations until you
make a way for me to bring glory to your name.
Thank you, O
Lord, my God for today is enough.
Amen!
Ref: Romans 5,
Job 1, 35, 42,
Podeh2016
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