Positively Good Productions

We've all felt it: the agonizing pain of the

 world... the shadowy recesses attempting to 

obscure the light. 

It doesn't take much to be taken aback by

how devastating life can be. In times of 

adversity, it's natural to wonder, 

"Why?"

Even those of us who have experienced the

 blessings of God have sometimes wondered

why individuals who bear no guilt 

are unfairly demonized, oppressed, and 

persecuted?

Have you ever asked yourself, why does 

sorrow and anger have to exist?

We may think we're entirely alone when we 

are in agony. We tend to feel powerless and

 ineffectual. We may believe that God is not

 there when we most need Him.

One might question how a just God could 

allow such tragedies to happen.

How could God, who loves us so deeply,

 allow pain into our lives?

 Nothing happens without God’s permission. 

Even the devil has to seek God's permission.

Evils perpetrated by humans with evil intentions 

are brought about... not by God's will, but only 

by God's permission. 

Satan was granted permission, by God, to take 

Job's family, fortune, and health. However, God

 would not allow Satan to take Job's life (Job 2:6). 

Satan is on a short leash, acting only within the

 boundaries set by God. And all wicked deeds are

 the same in this regard. The sinner can only go

 so far before being dealt with by God.

God uses challenging circumstances in 

order to help us recognize our need

 for Him and dependence on Him.

We must realize that life, both bodily 

and spiritual, is entirely dependent on 

what God provides. Our reactions to 

adversities show what is in our hearts, 

or what truly inspires us. Humiliation 

demonstrates what is truly present. He

 causes us to suffer in order for us to

 become conscious of our own needs.

He is testing us to determine if we 

would live by faith, relying on 

Him to provide our needs. He 

wants to see if we will adhere to 

His commandments... even when 

disregarding them will meet a need.

Things happen to believers so that 

we might have attributes of intellect,

 character, and heart that we would 

not otherwise have. We can carry

these attributes beyond the grave and 

into God's Kingdom. 

In John 15:5, Jesus states, 

"Without Me, you can do nothing." 

Only by joining forces with God

 in His plan, as we continue on our journey, 

can we yield the fruits of God's Spirit.

During his saga, Job came to that realization, 

which led to deep repentance for his foolish

 questioning of God's plan. He also realized 

that "God can do anything, and no plan of 

His can be thwarted." 

Job 42:2

Nobody in power, or the ruler of any country, 

can carry out any decision or policy unless 

God grants them 'permission' to do so. 

"Mortals make elaborate plans, but God 

has the final word." 

Proverbs 16:1

Whatever circumstances we may be in, 

God not only permitted them, but also 

designed them for His most excellent use.

Nothing can happen unless God allows it! 

God's "permission" is an efficacious authorization. 

God allows with reluctance because of His 

righteous detest of wickedness.

Suffering, despair, and death can all be 

excruciatingly heartbreaking experiences, 

but those who have experienced God's love 

know that all will work out, in the end, for

 the greater good. 

God longs to make us whole.

The Scriptures are unequivocal. Everything 

that occurs in this world passes through 

God’s sovereign hand. However, just because

 God permits suffering does not imply that

 He causes it (James 1:13-18). Instead, He

 ultimately makes use of all of it to carry out

 His intended purpose.

God allows things to occur 

because they serve a divine 

purpose. 

Even when the world thinks that God is not 

reigning, He is. Even when pandemonium 

occurs, God remains in control. God is still 

in control even when things start to go awry. 

God is adept at making the best possible 

outcome of a bad situation. He will use 

all situations to accomplish His purpose.

Troubles, trials, and tragedies directly

 impact us all, and no one is immune to 

the harsh realities of life or suffering.

According to Scripture...

testing, trial, suffering, and chastening are God's 

ways of purifying, cleansing, and conforming us 

to the image of His Son, Jesus.

God is aware of and 

attends to our every need.

God has a higher purpose and reward 

behind every problem, and God is capable 

of divinely orchestrating all of our trials

 and sufferings in order to strip away all of

 the worldly things on which we were relying... 

and eventually draws us towards being the 

people He desires for us to be. 

God will use every circumstance 

to achieve His goal.

Suffering doesn't accomplish anything 

material, but it can generate an environment 

for growth and compassion. 

The Scriptures remind us, 

"that for those who love God, 

all things work together for good."

Romans 8:28

God is still at work in the midst of pandemics,

 wars, and natural calamities. He has a plan and 

will carry it out, even in the face of anguish and

suffering.

God is our utmost Supporter; He is our 

Merciful Provider, our Rock, and our Comforter.

 God's power is made perfect in our weakness. 

God's grace is more than sufficient for our 

needs. God's strength is perfected in our

insufficiency.

God, in His mercy, allows severe storms and 

great anguish to reveal to us essential truths

 about His grace and mercy. When we cry out

to God for help and strength, we find that God's 

provision is more than enough to meet our needs.

Spiritual traditions from all over the world 

emphasize that, while life can be difficult, 

God is at work, using our circumstances to

 humble us and shape us into the people He 

wants us to be. 

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks 

to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: 

it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world," 

C.S. Lewis once said.

Innocent suffering is the same

 as the suffering of Jesus.

What does it mean, then, to 

"Share in His sufferings"?

To suffer with Jesus means to face persecution, 

opposition, and hardship.

We may feel that God is unfair and harsh at times, 

but He is a God of Love who allows things in our

 lives that are temporarily very painful in order for 

His eternal purposes to be worked out.

Followers of Jesus are called to some level

 of suffering. We share in His sufferings in

 order that we may also share in His glory. 

Romans 8:16-17

Sadness is a part of our journey.

As Believers, it is inevitable that at some point 

we will encounter trials. No one in the entire 

world is immune to the various types of pain 

and suffering that can befall us in this life.

God will sometimes use a certain amount of pain

 and suffering to shape, mold, and transform us.

We should trust God to take care of us because

 God was able to bring about such a glorious

 outcome from Jesus' suffering.

We are all troubled by our inner thoughts

 and emotions. 

Acts 5:41 says that after the apostles were 

flogged for preaching the Good News about

 Jesus, "the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing

 because they had been counted worthy of 

suffering disgrace for the Name." They were

 being identified with their Savior; they were 

being treated in the same manner as Jesus;

 they were sharing in His suffering!

So, when people hate us because we are

 identified with Jesus, when they attack and 

persecute us because we bear His Name, when

 we lose our jobs, families, freedom, or even 

our lives for the sake of the gospel, we are 

sharing in the Lord's sufferings. 

We are called to this, and we should 

jump for joy! “We must go through many 

hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” 

Paul explained.

Acts 14:22

Taking up our cross daily 

leads to transformation. 

Suffering is part of our experience on earth. 

The human experience is varied and diverse, but 

few things are as inescapable as suffering. The 

pains and difficulties will differ from person to 

person, but we all suffer.

There is a purpose in the pain.

Suffering can be one of the ways 

God works with us for our own 

growth and to bring us to a better

understanding of Himself. 

Perhaps this is the time to 

turn to God.

Suffering in life can be a powerful jolt that helps 

us become more discerning and progressive.

confront aspects of ourselves that we might

 otherwise avoid. God can then use our 

suffering to shape us into better people, 

people who can love and enjoy Him 

forever.

Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4

God desires to heal us and bring us

out of our state of brokenness.

With God in the forefront, 

we will get through this.

 Suffering prepares us to feel empathy, 

emotionally connect, comfort those 

in pain, understand and share another 

person's hardships.

Those who can genuinely say, 

"Suffering has redeeming value," 

discovers one of the most heartwarming

reasons that suffering has redeeming 

value... empathy. 

Empathy is the fruit of suffering. Empathetic 

"I understand how you feel.

I've been in your shoes."

Suffering "makes room for learning and love.

Suffering serves to humble us and awaken 

us from our self-sufficiency illusion.

There may be times on our journey when we 

feel we can't go any further, but God wants us 

to know that His strength is made perfect 

in our weakness.

This happened during Jesus' life on earth. He was

heard because of His reverent submission.

That is what it takes to faithfully take up our cross

 daily! We have to cry out to God for the strength to 

hold out – for the strength to say “No” and keep

 saying “No” in the time of temptation. We must

 humble ourselves and have the same mind that 

Jesus had: 

“Not My will, but Yours, be done.”

According to James, "My brothers and sisters, 

take heart when you fall into various temptations,

 knowing that the testing of our faith produces

 patience.

But let patience do her perfect work, so that 

we will be perfect and complete, 

wanting nothing." "

James 1:2-4

When we face trials and challenges, James advises

 us to be perfectly content. The testing of our faith

 leads to patience, and when we allow patience to

 run its full course, it will lead us to strength of 

character and refinement.

God's intention is for God's glory... and for 

God's works to be revealed.

Surviving hardship can teach us valuable lessons

 about ourselves and the world around us, 

strengthen our resolve, deepen our empathy,

 and eventually allow us to evolve and grow as

 human beings.

Suffering's transformative effect suggests that

 it is our greatest pain that may contain a deeper 

purpose. Perhaps the function of human 

compassion serves that purpose.

To summarize, regardless of why we suffer, it is

 clear that love is the cure for suffering, and that 

all suffering, after many detours, eventually leads 

to love and God's glory being revealed in that 

situation.

Suffering teaches us to rely on God.

Pain and suffering causes us to seek 

intervention from God. We hold fast to 

Go, Who alone is our rock and secure 

foundation. We recognize we are not in 

control and that our lives are a "mist 

that appears for a little while and then 

vanishes."

James 4:14

Suffering teaches us to rely on God in ways 

that nothing else can, and it makes it possible 

for us to recognize that God is sufficient. It 

helps us to recognize that God is far more 

valuable than anything this world is able 

to provide.