Does Suffering Have A Purpose?

Does Suffering Have A Purpose?

 

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:11

In Job 13:15, Job declares, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Job made this statement when he was in a terrible time of pain and suffering. He had lost all of his children, his wealth, and his health. His friends were blaming him for all of his sufferings. His wife offered no support and was, in fact, telling him to give up, Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Job felt as though his life was over. The only thing left was to die. But, as Job says, even if God did “slay” him, Job would still trust in Him.

The important thing to understand is that Job realizes that, ultimately, the suffering he endures is allowed by God. It is God who has the right and the power to “slay” Job. Even in the midst of his pain, Job states, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted (Job 42:2). The faith of Job is seen in the fact that even if God’s plan results in Job’s death, Job will continue to trust in God. Nothing can shake the faith of someone so grounded in the goodness and glory of God. Job may not understand what is happening to him and why, but he knows that God is good, loving, and trustworthy. Job realizes his pain was not permanent. With God, there is a way of escape. The suffering of this life is temporary and will end for those who trust in the Lord. After this life, there is eternal life with God in heaven for the believer.

The Apostle Paul echoes Job’s statement of faith in Philippians 1:20, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” When we suffer and do not understand why we can trust that God has a greater plan in place that we cannot see. Instead of seeking to defend ourselves before God, Job’s experience shows us we can instead trust the Lord. He has a perfect plan in place, and “by life or by death,” may Christ be exalted.

Because of Job’s faithfulness, the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold (Job 42:10–17).

The example of Job encourages those suffering trials to patiently endure, realizing the Lord’s purpose is to strengthen them, perfect them, and, in the end, to richly bless them. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

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