A Deeper Exploration of Suffering
Types of Suffering
Suffering caused by my personal sin.As a recovering addict to internet images, I regularly meet with other men for my own personal accountability and to listen to their stories. I share my own stories of failure and listen to often agonizing stories caused by bad choices. As this suffering is exposed and confronted under the gentle hand of God, His sufficient grace begins the healing process. How beautiful is the redemption and reconciliation under the faithful hand of God. Keller writes, “God does not exact “retribution” from a believer, because of Jesus and because, if he really punished us for our sins, we’d all have been dead long ago. But God often appoints some aspect of the brokenness of the world (caused by sin in general: Gen. 3; Rom 8:18ff) to come into our lives to wake us up and turn us to him. The severity of this depends on our heart’s need.”
Suffering caused by betrayalKeller describes the suffering Paul and Jeremiah experienced despite their “good and brave behavior.” But for me, Joseph illustrates the suffering caused by betrayal better than most in the Bible—if you don't count Jesus. When Joseph meets his brothers in Genesis 45, Joseph he breaks down with weeping uncontrollable as he tells them that he is Joseph their brother. Three times Joseph, says God sent me. You sold me into slavery to the Egyptians but God sent me to preserve life. God sent Joseph to save a remnant of his people. And finally Joseph says God sent me not you to make me a leader under pharaoh's court. “Even though what the brothers did was evil and wrong, God purposed to use it for good. . . The Joseph story tells us that very often God does not give us exactly what we ask for. Instead he gives us what we would have asked for if we had known everything he knows.”
Suffering due to living in a broken and fallen worldI guess this might be the kind of suffering that I have experienced over the past year. There is often no cause. There is usually no clear reason. Life here is painful. My two athletic injuries and my claustrophic panic sent me into dark places, full of doubts, fears, and a questioning of my own faith. Someone asked me today about what I had learned while waiting to heal. It has not been easy to release my grasp on this life and to admit unhealthy, even idolatrous fantasies. As we encounter and embrace this type of universal suffering, God has an opportunity to prove the genuineness of our faith. Again, from Keller, “Suffering is an important way to grow. People who have not suffered much are often shallow, unacquainted with both their weaknesses and strengths, naïve about human nature and life, and almost always fragile and unresilient.” Keller makes others suggestions, here summarized briefly. We learn to be honest with God and ourselves about the pain. We weep. We trust. We pray. We become disciplined in our thinking. We are willing to do self-examination. We likely need to reorder our loves. We seek the community of others
Suffering that is horrific or senselessThe attack by Hamas on October 7 illustrates this type of suffering as does the story of Job. This is suffering that overwhelms the senses and has no answers. Keller helpfully writes about Job. “God is completely in charge. He has total control over Satan. Satan can go so far, and no further. God is clearly sovereign. . . The book of Job does not depict God himself inflicting all these things on Job. This is a brilliant way to get across the truth that, while nothing happens outside of God’s plan, God does not will evil things like he wills the good.” The result of trying to understand this type of suffering results in silence before God by Job and his friends.
As it should also do for us.
Yes, Job learns through this suffering to “enter into a life of naked faith, to learn to love God for himself alone.” I can’t get my head around this idea if I am honest. These thoughts create a dread and fear within me. With this kind of suffering, of which I am ignorant, there are no words, no responses needed. No responses possible. Hold on to hope in the darkness my friends.