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 The Whole World Plays Hurt
How Can God Be Good if He Allows All This Evil?
What is God Doing While We Suffer?
Pain: God’s Bullhorn
Refined Like Silver
Exemplary Suffering
God Has a Better Idea
God Has Scars Too
Comfort for Julie
God Wants to Comfort You
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Why Do Bad Things Happen?
Exemplary Suffering
When people are suffering, they often think of the ancient story of Job. He was a fellow who knew what it meant to be down and out. At one time Job had been prosperous. But, in a single day all his riches were destroyed and his children died in a furious windstorm. Then he was infected with a disease that left him covered with painful sores. All he had left was his wife, and her only advice was “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). To this Job responded, “’You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:10).
Three friends came to visit Job, insisting that God must be punishing him for a skeleton in his closet, some horrendous, secret wrong. But the friends were mistaken. Job had done nothing wrong to deserve the harsh treatment he received. What then was the reason for his affliction? Job is history’s most famous case of exemplary suffering.
God permitted Satan to oppress Job in order to demonstrate the strength of Job’s faith. Remember, there is a war going on between God and Satan. When Satan tempted Adam and Eve to distrust God, he gained human beings as allies in this war. Whenever we experience troubles, Satan tempts us to curse God, just as Job’s wife urged Job to do. Like soldiers on the battlefield, we may at times be called on to experience trials and afflictions. When we accept them with faith, as Job did, we demonstrate to the world that Satan is a deceiver and God is the One who truly loves us.
Job’s example of courageous faith has had far-reaching effects. In the midst of his sufferings, Job pleaded, “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll” (Job 19:23). God fulfilled Job’s request, for millions have been comforted by his story, which appears in the world’s most widely read book, the Bible.
There are many modern-day Jobs. Take, for example, Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts. In December 2005, Tony’s eighteen-year old son, James, died of an apparent suicide following bouts with depression. To experience such a tragedy in private is painful enough, but as the coach of a football team that was 13-0, Tony was under the microscope of the media. How could he survive? Well, Tony and his wife Lauren are Christians, and although the anguish of their loss was extreme, they continued to trust in the Lord. Tony Dungy’s endurance under extreme duress has brought hope to others who read about his problems. Several grieving parents have contacted Tony asking him how to endure the death of a child. Even though Tony didn’t know these people, he graciously responded to their pleas, and he continues to encourage them, as he is able.
In this case and in countless others, we see how God uses exemplary suffering to bring about good. The Lord “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
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