Our heavenly father does not take any pleasure in causing us to suffer. Let’s look at the causes of suffering in the world and how we can best respond to difficult circumstances. But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. He is not a cosmic sadist. Let me get it all together, Lord, as much as a human brain can get it together. Paying attention to what the early church prayed for can help keep your prayer life from falling into a rut. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 worship encouragement comforter “Do you think that was the will of God?” My earnest prayer is that after this sermon, you will be able to answer that question biblically in a way that doesn’t contradict the bible — as strange, as mysterious, as painful, as perplexing as it may sound. It grieves him to be grievous to me. 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to ev… It’s not rocket science. Salem Media Group. Bible verses related to How God Wants Us To Live from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance - Sort By Book Order . Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. But he never, ever delights in causing suffering. It is designed to build our trust in the Almighty, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. He ordains, orchestrates, and uses suffering. Does God want us to suffer? Keep me faithful to the whole counsel of God. The suffering and death of Jesus show us that there will always be an end to suffering – if not in this life, then the next. It begins to come out and you deal with it. I just read your article and felt good to confirm God does let us suffer to become closer to Him. Psalm 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. Giving God the first priority enables us to experience peace in our lives. Some close family members have died or got really ill, I've had really bad clinical depression for years, it's so hard to find a job, im afraid if my dad will lose to cancer, and to end it all off my fiancè left me :( God is a caring God and he doesn’t want us to worry about anything. I thought you were one of these ‘sovereignty of God people.’” You, without any anger, without any defensiveness, say. It is like death for him to strike me. I cannot get enough of the Bible and bible studies and on Sunday…I don’t want the pastor to stop. I know in my head that God works all things for good, and that I am supposed to rejoice always, and that nothing can blady, blady, blah. A question a lot of Christians ask is, "Does God want us to suffer?" For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. When illness does come, it may not be the result of God’s direct intervention in our lives, but is rather the result of the fallen world, fallen bodies, and poor health and lifestyle choices. Let’s use these two images: Jesus is an absolutely sovereign high king, Lord of lords and King of kings, and nothing comes to pass in this world apart from the dispositions and the decrees of King Jesus. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. How sad it must be for God when I think he enjoys hurting me. Making us believe that God, who loved us enough to die for us while we still hated Him, would then turn around and cause us to suffer after we came to love Him is one of Satan’s most effective strategies for hiding the fact that it was he who brought pain and suffering into the creation, not God. ), how should we rely on Go… Suffering has… Scholar Thomas Weinandy does that for us in his book Does God suffer? He makes me suffer because He knows it will ultimately be truly good for me (see Romans 8 etc.). Bible Verses About Trusting in God Help Us to Rely on God to Get Through Difficulties Hello! That is simply a fact, and Mr. Vines, as uncomfortable as it may be, needs to accept that fact. All suffering is the result of sin in the world (not necessarily personal sin, but the fact that sin is in the world). Some say that everything that happens is God’s will. There are many promises throughout Scripture of God bringing us through trial and pain. One passage says, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” 198 The other passage says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 199 The phrase “will of God” does not appear in these verses, but the truth is evident in the light of what Peter has said. And yet, I’ve got to have a God who understands me and who feels with me. Help me to be faithful, to hold in tension what has to be kept tension. They’re pondering and praying and say. Suffering is not in itself virtuous, nor is it a sign of holiness. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. It is difficult for us to comprehend why God would work in this manner. He commands that we love each other. He has no inclination or dispostion to the work of afflicting them…. You won’t make it. If we ask: “Why does God allow these consequences of sin?” the Bible assures us: God hates both sin and the consequences of sin, and won’t let them continue forever (Revelation 21:8). The reality that God allows Christians to suffer is one of the most difficult things about being a Christian. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. That was not the will of God. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS. His hands are gentle around me. Matthew 22:37-40 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Join us as we joyfully and gratefully explore 10 Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting & Encouraging Bible Verses, Scriptures, Quotes & Passages about What God has in store for you, What God has in store for me, What God has in store for us, and What God has in store for those who love Him. The question is, "Is it God's will… Home » Ask a Bible Teacher » Does God Want Us To Suffer So He Can Cleanse Us? There are times when I must discipline them, but it does not bring me any pleasure. And so will diligence without God. None. He does not take a perverted pleasure in seeing us brought to nothing. What is God doing? And although there are scriptural indicators that God wants us to be in good health, (3 John 2), all sickness and disease are allowed by Him for His purposes, whether we understand them or not. And for reasons I do not yet fully understand, he did not hinder it, and thus ordained in his infinite wisdom that it come to pass. And Jesus is a sympathetic High Priest who comes in alongside us and because he has already commanded “This should not happen to you,” he is able to be angry about it, he is able to be grieved about it, and he’s able to speak in terms of being quenched about it. You can break that will. After that lands on the person, they look at you funny and say, “I thought you went to Bethlehem. Yes, he uses suffering to make us more like Jesus. I mean, really badly abused — sexually abused, physically abused, and it has wrought havoc in your life. All rights reserved. Here are 15 great Bible verses about putting God … All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. It is God’s plan for preserving us and bringing us safely to glory. I imagine that God enjoys breaking me. Indeed, when it happened, it unleashed a kind of grieving and anger, and quenching of the Spirit of God. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. It would go like this: No, it was not the will of God, because God commands that we not abuse each other, and he hates it when we abuse each other. Yes, he uses suffering to make us more like Jesus. He does not take a perverted pleasure in seeing us brought to nothing. 1 Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you]. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. I want to be true to the word of God. Revelation 21:4 reminds us “God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. When natural disasters strike, for instance, they think that these events are God’s way of punishing those who have sinned. Don’t let me run off in one direction and ride that hobby horse and don’t let me run off in the other direction and ride that hobby horse. The test can be anything, whether a disease, a financial storm, a relationship trial, anything that pins us against the wall or brings about suffering. I want to be true to the word of God. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. So we need to ask from text to text which of these two is being spoken of. Help me to be faithful, to hold in tension what has to be kept tension. When we suffer, let’s not believe the Satanic lie that God somehow enjoys making us suffer. Why me? Most have been persecuted, beaten, starved, and even killed for their faith. However, because of God’s great mercy (Jonah 4:2), He may delay bringing destruction for many years (Genesis 15:16) to give sinners more time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Q Last Sunday at my church, our pastor talked about the refiners fire’s process and he said that God wants us to suffer so he can cleanse us. God provides us with our daily needs of food and drink, and has led us unto today. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Bible does condemn homosexuality. I am, and it was God’s sovereign will. It’s not rocket science. He is not a cosmic sadist. When we suffer, God suffers with us because he loves us so overwhelmingly much. But he does not enjoy breaking us. But, believing in the sovereignty of God, there is no other option than suffering being something God allows and/or … Thus, they believe that God causes us to suffer. What makes a person a theologian is seeing things in the Bible and getting on their knees and thinking until they see harmony and unity coming together at the root of their being. What makes a person a theologian is not a college education, and not a seminary education, and sure not a doctorate. Often times this question is considered also, ‘How can a loving God let his children suffer?’ It seems that suffering has become more common today, but the fact is it hasn’t. You can disobey it. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. On the one hand, it sometimes means God’s absolute sovereign control over all things, which can never be broken and never frustrated. Before I do that in Romans 12:2, let me pause here and try to help you feel why what I just said is precious beyond words to know and believe. An example of this is the healing of the man blind from birth . Conclusion Sometimes God is glorified by removing the pain (John 11), but sometimes He is glorified by sustaining through the pain (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). Still, I cannot submit the word of God to my feelings–nor should he submit the word of God to his. or, "Does God want me to go through this?" My conclusion is that the will of God in the Bible has two meanings. Scripture promises we will suffer. Why does God want us to suffer? All three of those words are from the bible, from particular texts that the Holy Spirit himself experiences. Somebody asks you, “Do you think that was the will of God?,” which is a very common question, and a good one. Is it a sin if my past sexual experiences keep coming to my mind? 100 Bible Verses about Ignorance. Read, watch, or listen to the full message: John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. And to know him in both of these ways can get us through situations where if we try to choose the one or the other will leave us very vulnerable. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. We select related Bible verses about obeying God below to help you understand the importance of obeying God rather than men. I love my children so much, and I do not take any pleasure in disciplining my children. Yes, he works all of our sufferings for his glory and our good. ... For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, ... has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. Commenting on this passage, Thomas Brooks says: God takes no delight to afflict his children; it goes against the grain of his heart. Here’s my point when I said these two things are needed to weather losses and pain and hurt: I think deep in every soul is a desperate need that God be strong enough, sovereign enough and in control enough to take me in the midst of my loss and pain, and get me through it, and work for good even in the wills of myself and the people around me, and if I surrender the sovereignty of God and the mighty power of God over me and them, I don’t have the very thing I’ve got to have to stand on to get through this horrible situation. Us brought to nothing that the will of God bringing us through trial and pain would work in world. 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