Pain & SufferingSample

God's faithfulness

Suffering is a difficult thing to process and understand. It’s hard for us to comprehend how a good God and suffering fit together in the same world. Scripture thankfully provides insight into this topic throughout the Old and New Testaments. One such place is in Romans 5.

In this passage we see that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals that suffering is a tool to build character, endurance, and hope. Our hope and faith in God can always be trusted because He is a faithful God. Every promise He makes He fulfils. Whilst we may struggle to understand why we must walk through suffering, God sees the full picture, and, as a loving Father, we know He holds our eternal salvation and His eternal glory in mind.

If we change our perspective during suffering from ‘what am I getting out of this’ to ‘how is God being glorified through this,’ we can see the opportunities that arise to share about our faith despite the worldly circumstances we walk through. Our faith in the midst of suffering encourages others to lean into God during their suffering. Our hope encourages others to remain hopeful.

Whilst we struggle to see the bigger picture, God as the good Father knows what to protect us from, what to let us experience, and how it all works together for good, growth, and the purification of our hearts.

Written by EMMA BARRON