The Word of God is quite clear. It is not the Lord’s design that pain and suffering be forbidden in our lives. Rather, it is His design that it be fruitful. Human authors can help make this point. Ray Stedman writes, “God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our sufferings.” C.S. Lewis terms pain “God’s megaphone.”
Of course, the divine Author, Who inspired the Scriptures, speaks authoritatively and comprehensively. Before I list a couple of His statements, let me relate an episode from a few years back. During a causal discussion involving five of us, one pastoral colleague cautioned us to be careful about using clichés when ministering to people undergoing pain and suffering. Immediately following that statement, he proceeded to give a couple of examples. The second example of a cliché was, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…” I was immediately flabbergasted and dumbfounded. This pastor had just labeled one of the most profound truths in the Bible as a cliché!
The Bible is never a cliché or a sound bite. Every verse is a true and significant revelation from the heart and mind of the Living God.
Many have already recognized that the above Bible verse labeled a cliché is Romans 8:28. Perhaps it has been a while since you read it in its context. Here it is:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28-30,35,37-39
Here is one more profound truth statement from the Bible regarding pain, suffering and evil. Following a life in which his brothers sold him into slavery and he ended up spending quite a few years in prison, Joseph said to those very brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20
Indeed, we may wish that the Lord would forbid pain and suffering. We need to have a change in our spiritual mindset so that we can pray to our Heavenly Father, “Lord, I ask that this pain and suffering would be fruitful in conforming me more to the image of Christ, my Savior.”
