One of the things which can put the faith of a believer to the test is suffering.
One can begin to wonder, if God is all powerful, why does He allow me to go through bad situations? Why doesn’t he change things?
The truth is, that even Jesus Himself suffered while living on this earth, yet He did not do anything to deserve it. One thing about Jesus though, is that His suffering had a purpose. Everything He endured had to happen in order to bring salvation to mankind.
In the same way, God may allow some situations in our lives that can feel painful, but it is for a greater purpose that we may not understand.
For example, God can allow some trials in order to mature us spiritually (James 1:2-4). He may also allow something that seems bad to actually prevent something worse from happening.
For instance, if someone is stubborn about turning to God, He can allow a difficult situation in that person’s life to make them serious about their salvation. (God does that out of love, because He doesn’t want that person to end up in hell.)
We may not always understand what God is doing, but in those times of suffering it is important to remember that God loves us and He is still with us. We should pray and hold on to Jesus so that our faith will remain strong in spite of the trial we are facing.
The Bible says:
Romans 8:28 NIV
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
James 1:2-4 NIV
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
