What is a biblical view of suffering?

[mont974x4]

NOTE: All verses from the NASB, emphasis is mine


Joseph speaking to his brothers in Egypt when he revealed his identity to them. Remember they sold him into slavery and that is how God brought him to Egypt.

Gen 45:7 "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8 "Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.



Job, as I am sure we all remember, lost his children, livestock, most if not all his servants, and his home. He was also given great sores all over his body. His wife tells him to curse God and die. This is his response:

Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.



Isa 45:5 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
Isa 45:6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other,
Isa 45:7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.
Isa 45:8 "Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.
Isa 45:9 "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'?

Doing a search for "calamity" in order to do a study on that would, IMO, be a great study. I will have to add that to my to-study list.



What are the reasons for such suffering? Ultimately it is so God will be made known to people and He would be glorified.

Exo 9:14 "For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
Exo 9:15 "For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth.
Exo 9:16 "But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.


Joh 9:1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
Joh 9:2 And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?"
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

2Co 12:6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.
2Co 12:7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!
2Co 12:8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
2Co 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.




I admit this was a hard thing to come to terms with as someone suffering from injury and illness that ended my Army career. Even now it makes some of my hobbies difficult, and at times unwise to enjoy. Until I came to see Him is all sovereign and all glorious and always working for my good....that is conforming me to the image of His Son...and for His ultimate glory (Romans 8:28-30 is the reference I now have tattooed on my left inner forearm) I struggled with depression and anger at Him.


I am sure many will not agree with my understanding of these passages. I simply pray that all will be challenged and edified by prayerfully the Scriptures and the realization of how great our God truly is and will always be regardless of our circumstances.

 

[annsni]

Suffering is one of the biggest struggles we face in light of God yet when we understand the whole picture, we can rest in Him, trust Him and know that He knows just what we're going through. I saw this just the other day and posted it on Facebook because I thought it was great:

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2012/10/the-five-responses-to-the-problem-of-evil/

There are also a number of great books on the topic, the most recent being from Joni Erickson Tada - one where she revisits suffering now in light of her constant pain. I highly recommend it!

 

[mont974x4]

There are some great resources on this issue available.

Thanks for the link. I hope others take some time and read through it.

 

[mont974x4]

As someone who often "talks through" a problem I think a reading of the Psalms is very helpful for us. David often seems to "talk through" his thoughts and emotions concerning a difficult situation he is dealing with. Starting from the broken hearted, sometimes even angry, position he talks with God and we see his attitude about the situation change. We also can see a change in focus.

Here is an example:
Psa 7:1 A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
Psa 7:2 Or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.
Psa 7:3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands,
Psa 7:4 If I have rewarded evil to my friend, Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,
Psa 7:5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life down to the ground And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
Psa 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
Psa 7:7 Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, And over them return on high.
Psa 7:8 The LORD judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
Psa 7:9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
Psa 7:10 My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.
Psa 7:11 God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.
Psa 7:12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.
Psa 7:13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
Psa 7:14 Behold, he travails with wickedness, And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
Psa 7:15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made.
Psa 7:16 His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.
Psa 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. (NASB)

 

[mont974x4]

The link Ann shared in her earlier post brought up Daniel 4:35.

Nebuchadnezzar has learned that he is not God.

Dan 4:34 "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
Dan 4:35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?' (NASB)