Why Does God Want Me To Suffer

What is Courage for the Journey?

Welcome to Courage for the Journey with Julie Fillinger where real stories and honest conversations inspire the strength to take your next step.

Today as we continue in our Courage for the Journey Live series, we are talking about
suffering.
No one wants to suffer. I know I don’t. That is not a happy thought. I avoid suffering as
much as possible.
When we asked our class what happens if we get rescued from life’s challenges,
including suffering, they concluded that avoiding struggles or being rescued from trials
prevented growth and development that would enable them to be overcomers of
difficulties.
They would be weak and ill-equipped to handle life’s challenges.
Then we considered the butterfly.
Isn’t God so good to give us this beautiful creature that symbolizes struggle?
The butterfly symbolizes struggle because its difficult, forceful emergence from the
cocoon is essential for building the muscle and fluid needed for its wings to fly.

The struggle inside the cocoon is physically necessary because the intense effort to
break free pumps vital fluids from the body into the wings and the resistance against the
cocoon’s walls gives them structure and strength for flight.
If the butterfly is helped prematurely, it will not develop the muscles necessary to survive
and fly.
The struggle in the cocoon is a metaphor for life.
It represents how life's challenges are necessary for developing character and
resilience.
Avoiding hardships in life can prevent the vital transformation of growth and strength.

Just as the butterfly builds physical strength, human struggles build inner strength,
resilience, and character.
Difficult seasons are seen as periods of metamorphosis, where darkness and
uncertainty lead to becoming stronger, wiser, and more beautiful.
No one wants to endure trials but that’s where most growth occurs. Suffering is a trial on
a deeper level. 
Let’s consider our brother Job from the book of Job, chapters 1&2 (Job 1:1 – 2:10).
You may be familiar with the story, but I want you to listen with fresh ears. There is a
reason we look at Job when we talk about suffering.
Job was blameless and upright. He feared God and turned away from evil.
He had 10 children, a farm full of animals, and many servants. God had blessed him.
He was considered the greatest of all the people of the east.
Job continuously intervened on his children’s behalf before God, just in case one of
them sinned.
So far so good.
But wait.
One day, when Satan had been walking all over the earth looking to see who he could
accuse of disloyalty, God allowed him to join the heavenly beings who presented
themselves before the LORD.
I don’t know how often he was permitted to appear before the LORD, but satan’s
favorite thing is to trap then accuse God’s children of disloyalty. And he’s pretty good at
it.
On this particular day, the LORD asks him, “have you considered my servant Job?”
What?!?! This is the LORD in all caps - the only true God and sovereign ruler of the
universe.
Can you imagine what a frenzy that put satan in?

Then the LORD goes on to describe Job as blameless and upright, fearing God and
turning away from evil.
To which satan replies, “does he fear You for no reason?” It’s because You have
protected him and blessed him.
In other words, up until this point, Job never had to endure anything hard.
And that is about to change.
Satan tells the LORD that if He removes His hand of blessing and protection, Job will
curse Him to His face.
The LORD says okay.
The LORD says okay to satan, meaning I will allow you to do your worst, only don’t
touch him physically.
YIKES!
Once he realizes he has God’s permission, it does not take satan long to wreak
absolute havoc and destruction on Job and his wife from all directions.
 The Sabeans come from the south and steal his oxen and donkeys and kill his
servants, save 1.
 Fire from heaven comes down and burns up the sheep and shepherds, save 1.
 The Chaldeans come in three groups and raid the camels and strike down the
servants, save 1.
 The ones that were saved were only allowed to live so they could go and tell Job
what had happened.
But satan saved the worst for last.
Just when the news seemed it couldn’t get any worse, there came another servant who
said,
“your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's
house, and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four
corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I
alone have escaped to tell you.”
Wow! Job and Mrs. Job lost everything all at once.

The worst of which was their children. All of them. No one was out sick or stayed home
because they didn’t feel like coming. All of them were present when tragedy struck. And
all of them died.
Take my income, my possessions, my livelihood, anything else, but please LORD don’t
take my children!
Job arose and in his grief-stricken state, he tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he
immediately fell on the ground and worshipped.
He worshipped.
And his response is quite incredible!
He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD
gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. He is grieving but he doesn’t blame
God.
But that’s not the end. There’s more.
I don’t know how much time goes by before the LORD permits satan to come before
him again. And again, satan has been walking the whole earth looking for who he can
accuse.
And again, the LORD asks him, “have you considered my servant Job.”
Job has no idea this conversation is going on. If he did, even the righteous Job may
have said, LORD, please do not ask satan to consider me.
The LORD goes on to tell satan how Job held fast to his integrity even though satan
tried to destroy him for no reason.
To which satan replies, “that’s because you wouldn’t permit me to touch him physically.”
He was saying Job gladly gave the skin of his livestock and the skin of his children in
order to save his own skin. As if physical suffering would be worse than the grief he is
already suffering.

Once again, the LORD permits satan to do his worst but he had to spare Job’s life.
Sparing Job’s life was not a mercy, but the LORD is in control this whole time. He had a
purpose in all of this.
Satan makes quick order with this new permission and immediately struck Job with
loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Job is left at the city dump with nothing but a piece of broken pottery he uses to scrape
himself while he sits in ashes.
Whatever this painful skin disease was, it progressively gets worse. To the point, the
three worthless friends who came to visit were speechless for a week.
Even his wife, who feels like she can’t handle any more, asks him why he continues to
hold fast to his integrity. She says, “just curse God and die,” knowing that would likely
mean her own death as well.
Job does not heed his wife’s sad advice but instead warns her against speaking like a
foolish woman who rejects God’s will, as he says, “shall we receive good from God, but
not evil?” Meaning God brings the good but also permits the calamity and the disaster.
God brings the good but also permits the calamity and the disaster.
The bible says, in all of this suffering, Job still does not sin with his lips.
I don’t know if that means there were times he sinned in his heart, but his speech was
still righteous or if he remained sinless in thought, word, and deed throughout the whole
calamity.
Regardless, I don’t identify with that ability to control one’s speech, especially if I am
suffering.

What can we learn from this incredible story of suffering?
First, suffering is a privilege.
I know how that sounds but hang in here with me for a minute so I can explain.

Job finds himself in a cosmic battle that he is completely unaware of.
Spoiler alert! Job does come forth as gold after going through this intense, horrific trial,
and he is fully restored and then some.
BUT the most fascinating thing about Job and his faith and his integrity is…he is never
told why!
Even at the end when everything is restored, God doesn’t tell him why he had to endure
this horrific suffering.
Through the test, God used him to defeat Satan. Not the once and for all defeat that
Jesus delivers through His death and resurrection.
But the battle was won.
You and I have the same privilege of engaging in this cosmic struggle and fighting with
and for our Lord and Savior.
The battle lines are drawn, and the opposing forces are not equal. We have been called
to the winning side!
This question at the center of the book of Job is addressed to us all.
Why do we serve God?
Is it just for what we can get out of it?
Or is ours a faith rooted in the reality of a personal communion with God
himself—for His sake?
Job’s wife encouraged him to just curse God and die. She basically says, “please put
us both out of our misery.”
Those closest to us can provide the greatest temptation/test.
Look at Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah (when she gave Hagar to Abraham), and
Ahab and Jezebel.
Mrs. Job was wrong, of course; but in all fairness, we must consider her situation.
She had lost ten children in one day, and that would be enough to devastate any
mother.

The family wealth was gone, and she was no longer the “leading lady” in the land. Her
husband, once the greatest man in the East, was now sitting at the city garbage dump,
suffering from a terrible disease.
What did she have left? Rather than watch her husband waste away in pain and shame,
she would prefer that God strike him dead and get it over with immediately.
In short, she wanted to give up too soon.
That brings us to the second thing we learn from this story of suffering.
Don’t Give Up Too Soon.
Maybe, like me, you have questioned how to keep living in the present where we see
brokenness all around.
I feel so much empathy for those suffering because I know what it’s like to feel the
anguish of a broken heart plummeting me to the depths of grief’s despair.
So, it is important to answer why we should not give up, when we are most tempted to
give up, and how not to give up too soon.
Our brothers Paul, James, and Peter shed some light on what happens if we persevere.

Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV) says, “we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope
does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Paul is telling us that suffering has a purpose because it produces endurance.
Endurance is good as it informs me to keep hanging on until it produces character.
I should be excited about greater character, but honestly, it’s not worth the suffering to
me.
This is when I get discouraged and I’m tempted to give up.
But God, in His faithfulness, won’t let me. He holds on to me when I want to let go of
Him.
And by His Spirit, He shows me that if I don’t give up too soon, character produces
Hope.

And Hope does not disappoint. It is worth the suffering.

In the book he writes to the tribes scattered because of persecution, our brother James
says, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,   for you
know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have
its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4
ESV)
James is telling us not to give up too soon by considering our trials as joy.
Joy when I’m going through a difficult time? What is James saying?
Do you remember the butterfly? Without the struggle the butterfly would not develop
the strength and resilience needed to fly.
The Greek word chará means joy, but the sense of the word is that the trial is the
cause of the joy!
James understands that this seems counter-intuitive and he puts the word “consider” in
front of it.
He knows he is going to make the reader pause and think about this for a moment -that
difficult circumstance or trials will grow your faith.
But how? How do trials grow our faith?
The trial produces steadfastness which makes us persevere. It refers to that quality of
character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb under
trial.
Once perseverance has had its full effect, you will have a mature faith. How do we get
to this maturity? We go through various kinds of trials (plural)!
You will never meet a person of “strong faith” who has not endured various trials!
Like Paul and James, Peter also gives us some insight into why we don’t give up too
soon by telling us to rejoice when we are grieved.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by
various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that

perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and
honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV)

Before diving into this passage, it is interesting that James and Peter both use the term
“various trials.”
The original Greek is a much more poetic word than the English “various.” It can mean
“many-colored” and varied.
Trials come in different shapes and sizes. Some of them we bring on ourselves. Some
of them are no fault of our own. Some of them are long-lasting and some are just a blip
in time.
BUT, we all face trials/hardship/testing/difficulty!
One of our class members told us how important it was for them to tell those she and
her husband were sharing the gospel with that they would suffer as a Christian if the
chose to believe.
The culture they were living in was saturated with the prosperity gospel and they wanted
them to consider the cost before they made a decision.

Peter says we can rejoice when we have been grieved by trials.
This does not make sense to our 21 st century, Western ears. These 2 do not go
together!
How in the world do I rejoice in my hardship?!!
Peter answers this important question in vs. 7
The word “genuineness” was used in NT times as a description of metals that were
without alloy. The gold or silver had been tested and found to be pure.
Peter is equating that process of metals to our faith. Our faith becomes pure by these
various trials!
That’s why we can rejoice – the trial is making our faith pure (or mature)

The result: Praise, Glory, and Honor when Jesus returns.

So, when am I most tempted to give up too soon?
 I listen to the lies of satan instead of believing God is who He says and will do
what He promises.
 Or I rely on my own strength instead of leaning on God’s.
 Maybe it’s not in the time frame I think it should be or the outcome is different
from what I imagined. I’m talking about real hurts and painful losses that I cannot
fathom could be a part of God’s sovereign plan.
I give up too soon when I take my eyes off Jesus and believe the lie that the glory
that awaits is not worth what I must endure. And that is a lie satan loves to tell.
Maybe you are thinking, well that’s great for you Julie.
But what am I supposed to do when I am tempted to give up?
1. Cry out to God and keep on crying. Just keep on crying.
2. Build people into your life that you can contact any time day or night when you
are struggling.
 Call them my people. Identify them as my people.
 I think 5 is a good number to have, but at least 3 for the introverts.
 You will know who they are, because they are the ones checking on you,
already asking if they can do anything.
 Don’t tell them you’re fine, when you both know that is not true.
3. Then when you need them, text them and simply say, “I’m struggling.” This will
cue them to get on their knees and do battle for you, bringing you before God’s
throne of grace asking Him to lift you up.
4. Listen to music that speaks truth about God or read Psalms while you wait for the
miracle, believing it will happen.
*It has never not happened for me. Every single time I have engaged my people in
the battle and to approach God’s Throne of Grace on my behalf, I have been
spiritually, emotionally, and physically lifted up!

Why does this work?
I have asked myself why this keeps on working.
This is what I have come up with based on what I know to be true from God’s Word.
 It shows absolute dependence on God. You are in the pit and you know you have
nowhere else to turn.
 It takes humility to ask others to join in. This is when the miracle happens. When
we humble ourselves.
 God delights in the intercession of the community where He is in the midst.

Do I continue to suffer? Yes. But I move through the transformative process more
quickly to bask in Hope that does not disappoint.
I have the memorial stones of God’s faithfulness to lean on.
My testimony is that God has never not been faithful.
I have no other reason to be hopeful. But God, in His love, makes sense of the
suffering.
So, I can endure a little longer and then a little longer still as I wait expectantly for
Christ’s return.

Finally, what we learn from Job in times of severe testing is to ask not, “How can I get
out of this?” but “What can I get out of this?”
Faith is living without scheming. It is obeying God in spite of feelings, circumstances, or
consequences, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan in His way and in His
time.

Do you remember Job’s response, “shall we receive good from God, and shall we not
receive evil?”
This statement makes us pause for a moment because we don’t like that Job seems to
imply that God gives good and evil, and we know that is not True.
So, what exactly is Job saying here?
The word in Hebrew for evil can (and usually does) mean morally flawed, wicked. But it
can also mean calamity or disaster.

Job understood the Sovereignty of God and would not take up the “foolish” (morally
bankrupt) attitude of his wife. He would not curse (rebel against) God.
Satan had told God that Job would curse God. His wife encouraged him to take that
path and Job refused (just as God told Satan).
It was reasonable that Job’s wife wanted to die. I think Job wanted to die too. He just
wasn’t willing to curse God to get there.

Husbands and wives, listen up! You have to be there for one another.

Eric and I have never been drinkers. We do not think having a drink is a sin. But there is
alcoholism in our family trees.
So, Eric thinks it would be too easy for us to overindulge once we got started. He has
asked that we just don’t get started.
There have been lots of times, I want to participate in a social beverage, but I usually
don’t because it would discourage Eric.
Then, when Nicholas died, we both wanted to drink. It was a crazy notion for us to turn
to. We have never been drinkers, not even socially.
And this would not be a social call. Our reason for drinking would have been to numb
the excruciating pain we were feeling.
It would have been understandable. Our son had died. The pain felt unbearable. But it
would have been the wrong decision.
Thankfully one of us was always feeling a little stronger when the other was weak. And
we could talk each other out of it.
God strengthened us individually, but also together. Our relationship has been tested,
and it has endured. We have the battle scars to show for it.
But now, we are the strongest we have ever been. God’s grace has been sufficient to
help us endure what He asked of us.
We give each other the benefit of the doubt. We get over stuff that doesn’t matter. We
cheer for one another’s success.
We tend to not think so highly of Job’s wife based on the little interaction we have with
her. But when Job’s fortune and family are restored, it’s with his wife.

It makes me think they were also strengthened together. Even though they were
tempted to give up too soon, they didn’t.