What is the meaning of suffering and why does God allow it?  It’s natural to ask these questions when we’re suffering from pain, loneliness, depression, sickness or disappointments.  This video will share answers from the Bible and will give you new insights which can lead to hope, peace, and solutions – no matter what you are suffering from.

Let’s start to understand the mystery of suffering with a story, followed by Jesus’ answer to an age-old question people often ask when suffering, which is, “Do you think that God is repaying me for my past sins?”

Like a wild-fire, I can only imagine the spread of gossip that must have flown through Jerusalem when the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate, killed some political enemies while they were in the Temple worshipping.  To make it even worse, Pilate had their blood mixed with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar.   Jesus knew what people were wondering, so he asked, “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?  Is that why they suffered?  (Luke 13:2).

You see, Jesus knows how sometimes, in our attempts to understand suffering we blame ourselves.  Even more startling is how some of us even try to “pardon God” as we subconsciously say, “I sure deserved this punishment.”  And Jesus says this type of thinking is NEVER true.  But wait till you see the brilliance of Jesus’ answer!

But before we get there, the first thing we need to remember is that Jesus did not come to earth to end suffering.  And to make this point, it might help to remind ourselves that our Lord willingly suffered a horrible gruesome death to pay the price to forgive our sins.  And after he hung dead on the cross, you can bet his disciples beat their hearts inside terrible anguish and psychological suffering as they cried, “Oh God, what good COULD POSSIBLY come from this.”

Yes, during our times of suffering, questions can be complicated, and we rarely see any easy answers. Suffering can be overwhelming, and sometimes so crushing that we need to prepare our hearts and minds before such suffering happens to us.

Notice in Luke 13, how Jesus said not once but twice, “you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God” (Luke 13:1-5).  Here Jesus is redirecting our thinking about suffering, when he changes the topic and talks about us, people who are not currently experiencing any suffering.

Let’s see what Jesus means when he said, “Repent of your sins and turn to God.”  First it seems like a solemn reminder to never say to ourselves, “I tithe, therefore God owes me,” or “I’m a good guy so God owes me” or “I do what’s right, so God owes me.”  God doesn’t owe us a thing.  And doing all these good things, does not mean we won’t ever suffer.  Jesus is reminding us not to make things, our success, or our good circumstances as our salvation – because as each of us intrinsically knows – they are not, and sooner or later, we are most likely going to suffer too.

Instead, Jesus reminds us to repent of our sins.  He is saying that times of goodness are scary times for us spiritually, simply because we often worship God, not for who he is, but for what he gives us.  And when things are going well for us, it is just too easy for us to think to ourselves, “I deserve this.”  In fact, if we really saw the self-centeredness of our own hearts, we would know God owes us nothing and we are much more flawed and sinful then we dare to believe.

Jesus knows our anger toward suffering is justified, but not when we get mad at God.  Instead, we are right to get mad at the brokenness we ourselves have chosen.  Remember that God did not eat the fruit of the tree – Adam and Eve did.  God did not kill Able, but his brother did.  In the same way, our God did not create war, poverty, sickness or depression.

So, now that we’ve seen how to respond when other people suffer, let’s answer the question, how should we respond when suffering happens in our own lives?

Sometimes suffering gives us a unique opportunity to change our focus to rediscover what is truly important.  For example, I know so many happy, and well-connected families who struggled for a long time when their children were born with mental disabilities.  The tragedy of their situation caused these families to unite, to work together, and to see their need for each other and God at a whole new level.

Likewise, our suffering can encourage us focus on new possibility thinking.  Consider for example the carpenter who lost his arm in a tragic accident, who now works as a counselor helping other people who have been through similar troubles.  The possibilities are endless, and change starts, not by asking “Why am I suffering” but by asking ourselves more empowering and better questions like, “What GOOD can come from this?” or “How can I take what I learn from my suffering to help others who are facing similar experiences?”

Truly, not if, but when we face suffering, we all have the choice to become victims or overcomers. Admittedly, these questions don’t instantly lessen our current suffering, but they can lead us to shift our focus to find options or take actions we haven’t done before, which can lead to hope, peace, and healing.

As part of our search for peace and hope, we can ask, what if the sole purpose of our suffering was to bring us back to God?  Certainly, there are lots of places in the Bible (2 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Romans 8:18, John 16:33, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 4:24, Matthew 5:4, Revelation 21:4) to comfort us, to encourage us to find new solutions to problems, to teach us about perseverance, and to lead us in prayer.  But perhaps the most important lesson is to be reminded of how small we are, how out of control we really are, and how much we truly need God.

In the end, we all die, and this life and its problems are brief in the scope of eternity.  Yes, we all need God, and suffering on earth allows us to see that truth deeper and stronger than ever before.   Perhaps during our seasons of suffering, we can find comfort as we come to realize more than any other time in our lives, “You’ll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”