1 Peter 2:20-21 “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

Whether we suffer or not, our lives are to be lived in a way that is wholly devoted to God. Suffering is not part of God’s original design for humanity. God made the world and humanity perfectly—very good. Suffering in all its varieties and contours, is ultimately the result of the sin which we so foolishly chose over God. That does not mean however that each instance of suffering is the result of a specific sin. This was one of the issues that Jesus addressed with the religious leaders of his day. In John 9 they pointed out a man who was born blind and ask Jesus whose sin was responsible for his blindness? Was his suffering because of his sin or his parents’ sin? Jesus responded, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned… but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” For this man, his temporary suffering was given to him as an occasion for an amazing miracle that highlighted who Jesus was. 

That may seem somewhat callous of God. Is God right to permit suffering in our lives if the purpose of it, is to bring glory to him? As Christians we say, “yes!” When we say yes, we are committing to a value judgement. We trust that the good that God is doing in our lives is of such higher comparative value, that the temporary suffering worth it. This is what Scripture affirms in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” 

We see this illustrated in our daily lives. When my son comes home from football practice with sore muscles and skinned up knees, we tell him, “No pain, no gain.” His suffering in practice will be worth it when the games begin. When we take a child to get a vaccination and they cry out from the pain of the needle, we remind ourselves that the pain of the needle is far less than the pain of polio. When the musician’s fingers are sore and blistered from practicing endless hours, we deem it as worth it as we enjoy the skillfully played concert. 

God redeemed Christ’s suffering for our good. God is redeeming your suffering as well. There is coming a day when all suffering will cease. Won’t that be amazing? But until that day we can count on hardships. How do we endure? We must keep our eyes on our example. We must follow in his steps by trusting God and allowing him to do his work in our lives. We must glorify God by maintaining our holiness and faith as God does his purifying work in our lives. The blind man had no idea that his many years of blindness were going to serve the purpose of displaying Jesus’ glory to the billions who have read that story and believed. You do not know how God is going to use your current pain in your life or in the life of another. 

• How has God used pain in your life for his glory? 
• How can you encourage someone else who is going through a season of suffering?