It is essential to have a biblical view of why God allows suffering and how we go through it. The Bible tells us that God is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful, steadfast, forgiving, and much more (Ex. 26:6-7). Understanding that God is good and true, we see that there is no darkness in Him, He cannot sin, and it is not in His nature to cause people to suffer. What God does do in our times of trial is to draw us closer to Him. He recognizes that when things are going well, people tend to take matters into their own hands and take the glory away from Him. Times of trouble or distress expose our weakness, which is when we most often run to the Lord. Trials that God allows are for our growth in Him.  

We must remember our weakness lest we become arrogant, thinking that our strength is from our own doing. Trials test our faith by revealing how we respond, either from our strength or our trust in God. As God reveals how to overcome difficulties, we grow stronger in our faith and closer to Him. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul explains that “therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:1-5). We do not rejoice because of the suffering, but we can rejoice in the midst of it because we know it is only temporary.

The hope of eternity in heaven, secured by the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, puts our earthly suffering more into perspective. Paul shares, “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). The gift of eternity with God far outweighs our current suffering. We live in a fallen world full of sin and eagerly await the day of our full redemption with Christ. We live with the hope that God is faithful to His word and that the promised glory is real. God can use all things for His good, not just some things, and not for earthly comfort, but for a closer relationship with Him.

Our trials can come in many forms, both physical and spiritual. We must stay focused on believing that God is always with us and that nothing can separate us spiritually from Him. What was true in Paul’s day is still true today; “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:8-10). As Satan moves in this world to distract non-believers from the truth of the Gospels, he also attacks believers to sow seeds of doubt. The world is full of people who are “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:1-4) We may be tempted by their worldliness, but we must remain vigilant to God’s word and promise, asking God to give us the strength and wisdom to stay in the truth.

Our battles relating to our faith are not physical battles but spiritual battles against Satan, his lies, deception, and coercion of nonbelievers. We cannot battle Satan from our strength. We must rely on the power of God. We need to be active in this fight. We cannot simply sit by and wait for God to fix things. He has provided us with the offensive and defensive tools to wage the battle, and we are responsible for using these tools. We must stand firm and face the enemy and not retreat from him; we have the power of God behind us. The belt of Biblical truth (Eph. 6:14) is the foundation for Christian living. The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14) protects our hearts when we live a life according to God’s will. The shoes of readiness (Eph. 6:15) allow us to stand firm and move forward to share the gospel of peace. The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) will enable us to rely not on our strength but God; faith protects us from any lies that the devil may use against us. The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17) protects our minds to stay focused on biblical teaching to discern and avoid false doctrines. The sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17) is an offensive piece, being the Word of God. God’s truth counteracts false teaching, and the Holy Spirit will reveal the words needed to dispel the darkness of situations. We are called to pray in the Spirit at all times, another offensive measure, earnestly asking for all things (Eph. 6:18). Worldly and spiritual attacks are not refuted by human force but by obeying and applying the Word and speaking truth through Christ. Paul notes that “we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). We look at each thought as it comes and hold it up to God’s Word to determine if it is truth or lies to be cast away.

Every Christian will face attacks and temptation and have to deal with the potential to sin. Satan tempted even Jesus. His reaction to that temptation set the example of how to respond to our experiences. We are called to “consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb. 12:3). God disciplines His children to mold them for their growth like a good father does. Discipline is a form of grace God provides to encourage us to change. We must be open to the leading of the Spirit so we can be considered sons of God (Romans 8:14). Resistance to sin is our greatest battle. We must submit to the discipline and teaching of the Holy Spirit to grow in holiness. It may be difficult to understand God’s correction in the short term, but God does not make mistakes. All He does is for His eternal plan.