No one in his right mind wants to suffer in life. We all want the good things life has to offer. That is one of the great motivations for getting up each morning.
A misconception exists among some that once a sinner repents of his sins and accepts Christ as Savior, God will keep her from suffering anymore. Have you ever heard someone tell an unbeliever who was going through trial after trial that she needs to get saved so she can stop suffering? The implication is that God excludes His people from suffering.
But is that right? Is it true that once a person becomes saved that God will protect him from everything bad?
The Bible contains many promises about God’s ability to protect us. One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 91:10. It reads, “No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent” (NASB). This is a promise to those who make the Lord their dwelling place. I trust God to do that in my life. But we must be careful to view individual verses of the Bible in their proper context, relative to the Bible as a whole.
Even in the New Testament, under the Grace era, the Bible is clear that Christian suffering is not an anomaly. In the epistle of James, for instance, he even writes that we should, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2, NASB).
A correct perspective about Christian suffering is needed if we are to remain stable in our walk with the Lord. An instance of personal suffering does not necessarily mean something is wrong with our relationship with God. The following verses underscore the reality of Christian suffering:
1. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12, KJV).
These words from Peter were important to those he was addressing because of the persecution believed to exist at the time. A clear message in this verse is that being a Christian does not mean you won’t be tested at times.
When trying times come, we may regard them as strange. We want to know what’s going on. This is not supposed to happen to us because we are Christians, we say. But we are called to be partakers of the sufferings of Christ (verse 13).
2. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, KJV).
This verse makes it clear that not all Christian suffering results from disobedience to God. Sometimes, no correlation exists between a person’s lifestyle and the things he suffers. Not some but ALL who commit themselves to living a godly life will be persecuted.
We conclude then that there is no level of closeness to God we can attain that will render us off-limits to Christian suffering.
3. “For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake (Acts 9:16, KJV).
Jesus spoke these words to Ananias about Saul of Tarsus just before Saul’s conversion. In effect, Jesus predicted that as Paul the apostle went about bearing His name, he would suffer much for the name of the Lord.
These words of Jesus get at the heart of the matter. God has no pleasure in our suffering. But Christian suffering is incidental to serving the Lord. Our adversary the devil is not sitting on the sidelines cheering as we obey the Lord’s will for our life. The enemy will seek to oppose us any way he can.
Where God Is When We Suffer
But here is the good news. God is not missing in action during the times of our adversities. No, He is very present. Consider this amazing promise from the Word of God:
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it”
1 Corinthians 10:13, NASB
Is that good or what? According to this verse, even when we go through trials and sufferings, God is very present. He is faithful to not allow us to have more thrown at us than we can handle. The Lord knows what each of us is made of. He knows who is a babe in Christ, and who is mature. He will not allow any to be overwhelmed by their circumstances.
We can’t separate serving the Lord from the potential of suffering for Christ. But we can be confident that God is very present in our times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.