Once Upon A Time
Once upon a time — there was shalom: “nothing was broken, nothing was missing” (source unknown). Righteousness and justice governed the days. It was a suffering-free reality.
Park here for a moment: Adam and Eve enjoyed a “suffering-free reality”! Wow.
That “once upon a time” all changed with Genesis 3; indeed this was a game changer. The notion of shalom—nothing broken, nothing missing—that ain’t our reality now. All is broken and a lot is missing—including peace, justice, health, equality, equity, etc. So, we shouldn’t be surprised when suffering visits our street and our address unannounced. Suffering is a rude visitor or intruder.
Causes for human suffering? Let me list 5:
(1) Our own knuckle-headedness causes suffering—David writes in Psalm 119:67, “before I was afflicted…I went astray”;
(2) Others’ knuckle-headedness causes suffering—think about parents’ ungodly words to their kids; or think about drunk drivers and the unimaginable suffering they cause;
(3) Sometimes we suffer for doing good, for being godly—see 2 Tim 3:12 “those who live godly will be persecuted”; Jesus’ blessed are you, when you are persecuted because of him (see Matthew 5:10-12)—think of Bonhoeffer, John Lewis, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—all persecuted for living godly lives;
(4) Satan causes suffering; however, with divine restraints — think of our brother Job;
(5) God causes suffering—think of the Israelites—sent into exile for discipline. God disciplines those he loves (see Heb 12:6). Sometimes God might give a heads up—see Acts 20:22-24: Paul is told suffering awaits him when he goes up to Jerusalem.
Intermission
As an aside, we are called to relieve the suffering of our neighbors because when the “city flourishes or better when the city’s citizens flourish, we flourish” (Jeremiah 29).
Our purpose is to pick up Jesus’ purpose. Tim Keller writes in his book, The Prodigal God, Jesus’ ultimate purpose was, “not only individual salvation and pardon for sins but also the renewal of this world, the end of disease, poverty, injustice, violence, suffering and death.”
Four redemptive purposes for human suffering?
(1) To quickly remind us of our utter weakness so that we can utterly depend on his grace — Paul’s thorn (2 Cor 12:8-9)—three times Paul asked God to remove this “thorn” and God ended the conversation by saying, “my grace is sufficient”;
(2) To bring glory to God. I remember while living in St. Louis, a 12-year-old-girl had a rare disease, her father a pastor—many doctors and nurses came to the Lord based on the pastor’s and this little girl’s witness in the midst of their suffering. Think of John 9 here too; referring to a man who was born blind, Jesus said, “this came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.” Yes, sometimes God uses us to bring glory to himself.;
(3) These impromptu tests sanctify us—I love this line from Hezekiah Walker’s song, “Amazing”—‘every valley meant to strengthen us’ (see Romans 5; James 1; 1 Peter 1); and
(4) To ‘course correct’ our perspective, we must have a long view — Dr. Walter Turnbull, the founder of the Boys Choir of Harlem, said this about Woodley, his great-grandfather, who was a slave: “No matter the suffering, he believed, life on earth was only a tick on God’s clock: heaven was an eternity.” Maybe, Mr. Woodley had Romans 8:18 in mind: Paul writes “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (NIV).
Amen
Luke Brad Bobo 