God Brings Us Suffering for Others’ Sake
Ongoing pain and suffering is hard. My wife and I have wrestled with her chronic pain for five years now. Everyone suffers somehow. It might be chronic pain, cancer, broken relationships, disability, or the struggle against besetting sins. It’s hard to live in a world of futility and brokenness. We groan for the day when it is all made right (Romans 8:18–25).
And yet, suffering seems to be one of the great instruments in God’s hands to continue to reveal to us our ultimate dependence on him and our ultimate hope in him, despite our circumstances. God is good to give us the greatest gift he can give us, which is more of himself. And oftentimes he must take something away to help us trust him alone, even if at times it feels like we’ve received a death sentence (2 Corinthians 1:8–11).
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