Why do we think suffering is bad? Perhaps we don’t think, we feel, and suffering does feel unpleasant. We ask God why, why must we suffer? How could God allow this? Here are a few reasons why:

1. Pain is preparation for perfection.

There is no such thing as pointless pain in the life of the child of God. In Ephesians 5:26-27 we are told "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He may sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she may be holy and without blemish." We must be made holy for Christ to present us unto Himself, and He does this in the Lord's laundry room! Using bleach to get rid of stains is a harsh process, and getting rid of wrinkles is also painful. You have to iron, which is a combination of heat and pressure. By this painful process we are able to be presented without spot or wrinkle, but holy and blameless!

In Hebrews 2:10 we are told "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." and in Hebrews 5:8-9 "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." God is establishing the qualifications of Jesus to serve as our Great High Priest. The fact that Jesus "suffered" in this way proves that he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15). John Piper has explained, "This does not mean that he was once disobedient and then became obedient. It means that Jesus moved from untested obedience into suffering and then through suffering into tested and proven obedience. And this proving himself obedient through suffering was his being perfected."

If Christ suffered to be made perfect, what is to be thought of our suffering? In the book of John, Jesus prays to the Father "I am not praying for these alone, but also for the future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of these. . . so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me." (John 17:20,23). In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus teaches a parable where he asks the audience "which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

We have been told God loves us as much as He loves Jesus; Jesus still had to suffer. We are told our Heavenly Father gives His children greater gifts than we can imagine. Would you ever think of suffering as a gift? Have you ever gone through something, and in the midst of it wish you were never born? Job did. When you overcame that season of suffering, were you thankful for the fruit it produced? God took the worst thing that has ever happened in history, the death of Jesus Christ, and turned it into the best thing that has ever happened in history, payment for our and eternity in Heaven free from pain. Suffering hurts during its season, but it is preparing us and perfecting us! "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?”"- Kahlil Gibran

2. Suffering gives us eyes for eternity.

Suffering makes us homesick for heaven; it prepares us for heaven by teaching us how unfulfilling life on earth is and helps us develop an eternal perspective. Suffering is allowed so we may loosen our grasp on this life, because we should not be thinking that life in a fallen world is as great as we sometimes think it is. Pastor Dick Bacon said, "If this life were easy, we'd just love it too much. If God didn't make it painful, we'd never let go of it." Suffering reminds us that it is abnormal. Our souls protest, "This isn't right!" We need to be reminded that we are living in "Plan B" and “Plan A” was before the fall of man, where God’s creation was initially perfect. The world God originally made isn't the one we experience. Suffering can make us long for the new heaven and the new earth where God will set all things right again. Until Christ returns and all things are set right again, we live in a world which sometimes feels like hell itself. If we didn’t get a taste of what God is rescuing us from, how can we appreciate and understand how miraculous our salvation truly is? Sometimes we need to experience a spurt of suffering to realize we were condemned to eternal wrath but by God’s grace we have been saved!

3. Troubles testify.

Godly attitude shines and nothing attracts the unbeliever like a saint suffering successfully. We were made for the purpose to make God real to those around us. The reality of God's power, His love, and His character are made real to a watching world when we trust Him in our pain. Suffering also develops compassion and mercy within us. When we suffer we tend to have tender hearts toward others who are in pain. We are better able to comfort others with the comfort that we have received from God (2 Cor. 1:4) because we have experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit during our pain. Through this experience we can walk alongside others in their pain, showing the compassion that our own suffering has produced in us. Suffering gives us relate-ability, compassion, mercy, and the ability to better minister to others.

4. Suffering deepens dependence.

2 Corinthians 1:9 tells us that hardships and sufferings occur "so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." Suffering brings about a "one day at a time" mentality. We get to a point where we are praying "God, help me make it through today . . . or the next hour . . . or the next few minutes." This is what drives us to the Father like a kid burying his face in his dad’s leg. Recognizing our own powerlessness is the key to experience real power because we have to acknowledge our dependence on God for His power to flow from His heart into our lives.

5. Suffering is temporary but inevitable.

“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). We are promised hardship, tribulation, and suffering. Jesus suffered and men of God all throughout the Bible suffered far beyond what we will have to experience. We have no choice whether we will suffer; our choice is to go through it by ourselves or with God.

6. When we allow godly suffering in our lives we receive:

Holiness- Hebrews 12:10: we are enabled to share in His holiness through the discipline of enduring hardship.

Obedience- Suffering makes us more determined to obey God and teaches us to be submissive. The psalmist learned this lesson in Psalm 119:67, where he wrote: "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees."

Growth and Maturity- James 1:2-4 reminds us that trials produce perseverance, which makes us mature and complete. Romans 5:3-4 says that we can rejoice in our sufferings because they produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope.

Greater appreciation- Once you’ve endured a generous portion of hardship, the things you once would become upset over suddenly become less effective and untimely give the devil less power and satisfaction. You’re able to respond: "This is nothing." Trials are nothing . . . but God is everything.