The Blessing of Suffering

by Debbi Weeks

I just finished another novel. Well, okay, so I finished listening to another novel – I just love audiobooks! This one was Dawn’s Light by Terri Blackstock. It was a good read . I kind of got into the characters.

In the Afterward of the book, Terri Blackstock says a couple of things that fascinated me.

The first was that she said she constantly asks herself what God might do to our nation to bring about His righteousness (this relates to the storyline of the book). She looked at Isaiah 26:9 which says, “. . . For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” and noted that God uses different forms of judgment for people to seek Him.

The second was that God longs to bless us. She likened it to a parent desiring to bless her child, but there comes a time when blessing would be irresponsible. Sometimes the discipline of suffering is a better choice. This discipline may not look like blessing, but Terri Blackstock explains the crisis is the blessing because in it we seek Him with all our hearts. Hosea 5:15 says, “. . . In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

Then, just this week Randy Alcorn had this statement on his blog regarding the problem of evil and suffering:
“How many times has God had a purpose in events that seemed senseless at the time they happened? How many things that seem pointless now will later be seen to have a divine point? Consider Joseph and his brothers who horribly betrayed him and sold him as a slave: ‘You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good’ Genesis 50:20.”

God’s economy for suffering is far different than mine. I like to be comfortable. I do know, however, that in the hard times I turn to Him. I trust His Word that it is in those difficult times that the world turns to Him as well. I don’t want to suffer, but I do want the results of suffering and knowing that God uses it for His glory does make it somewhat more palatable. Oh that I, oh that we, would instead seek the Lord before we need affliction to cause us to seek Him!

Father, God I praise You that in Your economy nothing is wasted.

I confess I want to be comfortable and not go through the fire.

Thank You that Your sovereign plan is for my good and Your glory.

Please allow me to have eyes to see Your hand in affliction and please allow me to seek You even without affliction.

In Christ’s Name, Amen.