God is in control of everything, except the decisions made by humans. This is why we sometimes think He’s distant and we’re living apart from Him. But we are not living apart from Him because He created us in His image and His Spirit lives in us. He wanted us to have a perfect world in the Garden of Eden, but He gave us the freedom to make our own decisions because it was more loving to let us choose for ourselves than it was to control us.

Much of the suffering, and all of the evil we see come from human decisions, not God. While He doesn’t control our decisions, He does control the outcomes. Some things we’ll never understand, like why He doesn’t intervene to stop tragedies like wars, mass starvation, or total devastation from a storm.  Why does He allow a loved one to be taken from us when we’ve prayed? These will always be mysteries because we don’t have God’s vision or His ability to see all and know all. But God is always working behind the scenes to bring about something good to show us His power and faithfulness.

Not everything is a mystery though because some of the answers are in the Bible. We will also see His faithfulness in our own lives when we put our hope in Him and trust Him. God at times allows us to suffer to strengthen our faith so we draw closer to Him, and He also allows us to suffer to prepare us for the plans He has for us.

Suffering to Grow Our Faith

1 Peter 4:12 (Amp)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you.

The story of David shows us how God allows suffering, so we learn to trust in His goodness and rely on Him for everything. God anointed David as king when he was still a boy but made him wait before giving him the throne. The sitting king was angry and hunted David for several years, trying to kill him, and David spent those years in the wilderness, surviving on his own. From David’s Psalms, we know he cried many tears and felt terrible heartache, but it was during those days that he learned God was always near and protecting him. God could have waited until the sitting king left the throne to announce David’s kingship, but He was growing David’s reliance on, and obedience to Him. This was important because God promised that David’s kingdom would endure forever, and it did. David’s kingdom led to Jesus, our final and forever King.

Suffering to Prepare Us for Our Purpose

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The Bible is filled with examples of God using suffering to prepare us for the plans He has for our life:

• Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and then falsely accused and put into prison. He was in slavery or prison for 13 years, but his suffering trained him to trust in and use the talents God had given him. Suffering also refined his faithfulness, humility, and his capacity to forgive. When a 7-year famine came, Joseph saved Egypt and the Israelites from starvation. Among the Israelites he saved were the brothers that sold him into slavery. His act of forgiveness helped to unite the family and set an example for the tribes of Israel to live together in harmony when delivered from slavery into the Promised Land.
• Moses spent 40 years in the desert as a shepherd. The isolation and hardships he suffered taught him patience, humility, and leadership skills to prepare him to deliver the Israelites from slavery when God asked. Moses also received the Ten Commandments directly from God and delivered them to the Israelites, teaching them how to live according to God’s laws.
• Paul, the Apostle endured much suffering, including imprisonment, beatings, and a shipwreck. He grew closer to God with each hardship and became more committed to sharing his faith and the teachings of Jesus. Paul’s sufferings led him to spread Christianity across many regions, and his letters make up almost half of the New Testament.

God Uses Our Pain to Help Others

2 Corinthians 1:4 (ICB) He comforts us every time we have trouble, so that we can comfort others when they have trouble. We can comfort them with the same comfort that God gives us.

This isn’t a Bible story, but a story about a lady that I once met. She was having a great time on the beach with a big group of friends, talking and laughing, and we met as we were walking back to our hotels. She pointed to her very short hair and said she was going through her second round of cancer treatment. Two years earlier she had gone into remission, but now it was back. Also, in the year between her treatments, her husband was murdered, and the murder wasn’t solved. She didn’t tell me about these things to find sympathy or comfort; she was sharing a testimony of joy. She said she was “carrying the burden for someone else,” meaning, she knew she was suffering because she would one day be needed to help someone carry theirs.  I didn’t see her again so I can’t say how many burdens she helped carry, but I can say I have shared that story many times to comfort someone, and now this story might be comforting you!

In Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, it says, “There is a time for everything; a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” God wants us to hold onto His promise of turning tears into laughter and dancing. And He wants us to give our worries over to Him. Psalm 55:22 says, “Give your worries to the Lord. He will take care of you. He will never let good people down.” God wants to be our source of strength and hope, so even if you are angry with God or doubt that He exists, hand those feelings over to Him.  Let Him show you His love and faithfulness.

Reading the Bible and sitting quietly with His words is a great way to understand His faithfulness and find His hope. I’ve selected some of God’s promises, and other verses to lift you and help you find that hope. Pick the ones that stand out to you and meditate on them. Think about them over and over, until God’s love and peace finds you.

Always remember that God loves you, and I do too!