This morning, Garry spoke from Genesis 45:1-7, asking an age-old question, “If God is a God of love, how can He let X happen?” X is usually something unpleasant; we must address the question of suffering in this life, whether that is the ordinary misfortunes of life or bigger catastrophes and tragedies which blight our existence.
The problem often comes because people think that if suffering comes their way, this is a sign that God does not love them. They are ill-prepared for the vicissitudes of life and perhaps have been led to believe that Christianity means a trouble-free life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus said that we would be hated because of Him (Matt 10:21-22) and that in this world, we will always have trouble. (John 16:33) Even the briefest glimpse into Paul’s life shows us the hardships he faced because of his commitment to Christ (see 1 Cor 11:23-27, Acts 14:19-20), but so often, we associate suffering only with negative outcomes, rather than taking the long view.
The athlete has to go through the pain barrier in order to triumph; Joseph had to suffer betrayal, imprisonment and injustice before he came to power, but his response to his brothers reminds us that God’s purposes were for good: ‘it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.’ (Gen 45:5) Sometimes, there is no other way to maturity and fulfilment of God’s will than through learning from experience, often through suffering. Even Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered (Heb 5:7-9); James 1:2-4 reminds us that trials should make us better, not bitter.
The acid test for believers is to learn to trust God through the dark times. Jesus spoke of us taking up our cross and walking down the path of self-denial. (Mark 8:34-35) Often, we react more like the toddler who tantrums every time the parent says ‘no’. As parents, we know that saying ‘no’ does not negate our love, but the toddler cannot see the bigger picture. We need to trust in God’s unfailing love, even through suffering, if we are to mature into the image of Christ.
