The Importance Of Suffering

The Scripture says, I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you." So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me. (2 Cor. 12:8-9) It is my position that although God did not create suffering or disabilities, He allows them in order to show this dying world what his grace, mercy, and redemptive power looks like. Suffering is inevitable. It will effect each human that is born into this world, in one way or another. Suffering may come in one of many ways. It may be mental, emotional, physical, and/or socio economic. In addition, suffering could be concealed (internal) or apparent (external). Those with mental and physical disabilities are often times life-long sufferers and their suffering is a lot more intense and devastating. However, regardless of the type of suffering, we all need God and His word to comfort us in our time of affliction.

Although sin, suffering, and death were not a part of God’s original plan. He can use each one of these things to bring glory unto His name. While I do not believe that God created suffering, but was introduced through the Fall of Man, he uses suffering to keep humanity humble, show is grace and teach us how to truly love. On this earth everyone will suffer at one point in time or another, it is the consequence of living in a fallen world. There are countless stories of suffering riddled throughout the bible. From the first sons (Cain and Abel) to Revelation, there are recounts of sufferings.

Why would God allow so much suffering in this world? If what He created was very good (Gen 1:31), why do we experience pain? Furthermore, since there is...

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...r and we as the church must lead the way. I will culminate with this scripture in 1 Corinthians (21-27). The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (NIV)