{"id":5589,"date":"2022-05-21T15:17:07","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T20:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joannalo.blog\/?p=5589"},"modified":"2026-07-03T20:56:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T01:56:33","slug":"some-good-news-about-suffering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=5589","title":{"rendered":"Some Good News About Suffering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I couldn\u2019t get how suffering was actually good <\/em>for me. Of all the things I do in the name of strong and healthy, suffering<\/em> never sounded vitally important. Take your vitamins, eat your vegetables, plenty of water, walk, rest, sunlight. But suffering?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 5:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dull ears never charged this truth to my account. Like most hard things to hear, I prefer to pick and choose where I enter any given story. I love Daniel and the lion\u2019s den\u2014as long as God doesn\u2019t lock me<\/em> up. Joseph is one of my favorites to read\u2014as long as I\u2019m<\/em> treated fairly. I admire the true prophets of old\u2014as long as I\u2019m<\/em> safe, sound, and pain-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome suffering is given in order to chastise and correct a person for wrongful patterns of life (as in the case of Jonah imperiled by the storm), some suffering is given not to correct past wrongs but to prevent future ones (as in the case of Joseph sold into slavery), and some suffering has no purpose other than to lead a person to love God more ardently for himself alone and so discover the ultimate peace and freedom.\u201d wrote Timothy Keller in his book: Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The culture reduces suffering as pointless, to be thwarted at any, and all costs. We\u2019ve been duped into believing if we can get through life with minimal suffering, we\u2019ve lived a blessed life. According to scripture, that\u2019s hogwash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus said, Learn from Me<\/em><\/strong>, find rest for your souls<\/em><\/strong>. Why?<\/em> Because His life was health, wealth, and prosperity? Then we need to read our bibles again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prayers of the Saints runneth over with physical ailments, when our cup should be overflowing with spiritual praises. We pray safety and healing like it\u2019s all we need<\/em>. Not saying we don\u2019t depend<\/em> on God in<\/em> our suffering. If that were the case, suffering would most certainly be pointless. What I\u2019m unpeeling is, if God<\/em> taught His Son obedience through suffering, why, as children of God, would we assume God teaches us another way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 Charles Spurgeon<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Is it possible we could meet suffering like we greet sunlight, a full stomach, tall glass of water\u2014knowing <\/em>suffering makes us stronger, wiser, safer, braver\u2014more like our Savior<\/em><\/strong>?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will revolutionize our days you guys. When the back spasms, when the kids get sick, the employee quits, family breaks down, cancer comes, depression, inflation\u2014not for inconvenience\u2014for life saving obedience<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cMark then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it.\u201d \u2013 Charles Spurgeon <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I know. I\u2019m pushing suffering like I\u2019ve done my time. As if it\u2019s safe to say all this cause I\u2019ve mastered obedience. I haven\u2019t<\/em>, and God knows it, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m hearing it. My hope is to prepare us, free us <\/em>from lies like, \u201cWhy is this happening?\u201d \u201cGod can\u2019t love me and leave me this way?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m worth nothing like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a physical standpoint, we\u2019re only getting older. From a spiritual standpoint the world\u2019s growing colder. Suffering can be hard, long, lonely but it\u2019s not for nothing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe knows the way that I take when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>Job 23:10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I couldn\u2019t get how suffering was actually good for me. Of all the things I do in the name of strong and healthy, suffering never sounded vitally important. Take your vitamins, eat your vegetables, plenty of water, walk, rest, sunlight. But suffering? “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 My […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143625079,"featured_media":5617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[82348],"tags":[773157852,773157840,361856,773157883],"class_list":["post-5589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suffering","tag-jesus","tag-love","tag-spurgeon","tag-suffering"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pacmrQ-1s9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15085,"url":"https:\/\/joalo.org\/?p=15085","url_meta":{"origin":5589,"position":0},"title":"Partners with Christ","author":"Jo Alo","date":"January 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Be ready to suffer.1 Peter 4:1How do the saints prepare for battle? They ready themselves for suffering. They apply their mind to the mind of Christ\u2014who humbled Himself unto death.We live in a place where suffering is regarded as wrong, evil, unnecessary. 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