A Suffering God

When hardship strikes some people, they will turn away from God. Something bad happens to them that doesn’t make sense, and they conclude there can’t be a God if something like that could happen to them. They turn against Him and essentially find a belief system that accommodates their feelings.

But our God is a suffering God. Jesus Christ was God incarnate, and no one ever suffered like Jesus. Not only did He endure the physical pain of the whipping, beating, and the crucifixion, but He bore all the sins of the world on Himself as He hung on Calvary’s cross and cried out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Matthew 27:46).

When you are suffering, you need to know that you’re talking to a God who knows what you are going through. You will find in Jesus a merciful High Priest and a faithful friend who feels your pain. Hebrews 4:15 says, "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin."

We can’t live in a pain-free world, as much as we would like to try. When trouble comes (and it will come), when crisis knocks at your door (and it will knock), you can either become angry at God or turn to Him and trust in Him.

Here is your choice in life: you can become better or bitter. It is usually one or the other. When something bad happens, you can say, "I am mad at God. I am bitter with God." Okay. That is your choice. But you can also say, "I am going to trust in God. I am going to cling to God." And you will become better as a result. It is really up to you.