Suffering
Tom Shrader addresses the universal experience of suffering by anchoring listeners in two key passages: Romans 8:28, which declares that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him, and James 1:2-4, which commands believers to count trials as joy because they produce endurance. He emphasizes that everything in a Christian's life is either caused or allowed by God, and that this sovereign care extends to eternal security in Christ. Practical counsel closes the teaching: share suffering appropriately with others, and break cycles of self-absorption by turning outward in service.
“What you know trumps what you feel — God said He'd never leave you or forsake you, so He hasn't left you, even when it feels that way.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: New City Church
Recorded: April 26, 2015
Duration: 37 min
Themes: suffering, trials, pain, hope, joy, sovereignty, service, endurance, grieving a loss, going through hardship, feeling forgotten by God, caregiver, parent, struggling with unanswered prayer, new believer, questioning faith
Scripture: Romans 8:28, Romans 8:29, Romans 8:38-39, James 1:2-4, John 9, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Theological Themes: sovereignty of God, theodicy, Romans 8:28, sanctification, eternal security, divine providence, James 1 trials, perseverance
Full Transcript
Introduction
Brian called me some time ago and asked if I could teach on a given Sunday. I said sure. Usually when I come here it is a one-off — just share something you have been thinking about. This time it is a little different. You are in a series called "What About," which is a natural follow-up to Easter, when people begin to think about the faith and start asking questions: What about sin? What about hell? Brian asked if I could take a topic, and I said sure. He suggested suffering, and I said okay, because I really do feel that is one of my go-to subjects. I am older, I have watched it, and I feel like I have something to say about it.
When Brian and I met on Thursday, I asked if he had a specific angle in mind. He said no — it could be corporate suffering, the kind where you open your app and see an earthquake in Nepal and you are talking about that. What I have chosen to do is acknowledge that while we have collective moments like 9/11, you also have individual 9/11 moments, perhaps every day. This is a universal topic.
Webster defines suffering as "pain that is caused by injury, illness, loss, etc. — physical, mental, or emotional pain." That has to describe just about everyone in this room. There is not even an age limit.
Suffering Has No Age Limit
We tend to minimize the suffering and pain that younger children go through. I have eight grandkids — the oldest is nine — and their ages fall just about every year at nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one. There are two boys and six girls, and the boys play baseball. I love to watch these boys play baseball.
We had a game last night, and one of the boys made a play at short. It was a short hop, and when you are four feet tall, a short hop is a real challenge. He just picked it up so smoothly and threw to first. Sandy looked over at me and said, "You should see your face" — just this big smile, ear to ear. I love watching him play baseball. They play the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag blows out full and extended, and it takes me back to when I played. Baseball was that universal thing between kids and their dads, with the great voices like Harry Caray and Jack Buck.
Little Yale — small Yale — always plays up two years older than he is. This was his first year playing, and Yale was four, playing second base. A ground ball came to him, and at that level the coaches are allowed out on the field. A kid from the other team — six years old, my size — is running to second. He does not see Yale. There is nothing malicious about it. He just destroys him. Yale is lying there with his face in the dirt. I went over and said, "Buddy, you okay?" He said yeah. I said, "Are you having fun?" He said, "All right." That is the suffering of a four-year-old. This stuff just keeps coming into our lives.
When Suffering Distorts Theology
What I want to do is share what I begin to think about when I think about suffering. One of my key observations — and this will spin us into the lesson — is that the first thing that suffers when suffering comes into our life is oftentimes our theology. We take God and we try to distort what is going on around us. We feel like we need to protect God's reputation rather than simply go to the Scripture, where God said, "Who made the deaf, who made the dumb, who made the blind? I did."
Here is the big point, and we are starting early with it: everything that comes into our life is either caused by or allowed by God. If that is not true, He is not God. That truth tends to go away in suffering, because we want to redeem Him a little — we want to protect Him from that reality.
J.C. Ryle writes this about the Bible: "This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, its decisions immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, the Christian's charter."
R.C. Sproul writes: "If you wish to know God, you must know His word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works through His word. If you wish to know His purpose before it comes to pass, you can only discover it in His word." In the midst of discussing something like suffering — which almost instantaneously distorts, or at least threatens, our perception — we need to go to His Word.
The Sovereignty of God
The point we get from Scripture is that God is sovereign. Sovereign means to exercise supreme authority — unqualified in nature, possessed of supreme power, unlimited in extent, enjoying autonomy, freedom from external control. God is sovereign. God is the absolute. God is in control of every particle in the universe. There is not what one author calls a maverick molecule anywhere that would usurp His plan.
Romans 8:28 — What We Know for Certain
The first passage is Romans chapter 8, verse 28. If you have Bibles, I would ask you to open them. Even though the scripture is on the screen, I would love for you to have your Bible open, perhaps with a pen, a marker, a highlighter, or a notebook. Right next to the column where you find Romans 8:28, I would like you to write the word "fact."
"And we know," Paul says. We are not guessing. It is not a hunch, not speculation. This is Paul writing not as a man but as an apostle. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good." God intervenes. He is active. He did not just start this, wind it up, walk away, and say, "I wonder how this will turn out." He is engaged — not just in the cosmos, but in your world. It is certain. We know for sure that God causes all things to work together for good.
Now, if we stop right there — if we have a Bible that only has one verse in it, and it is Romans 8:28, and we only take the first part of that verse — we can conclude two things about God. If that verse is true, God has to be all-knowing and all-powerful. If God is causing all things to work together for good, He has to be all-knowing. How would He possibly know how to orchestrate and bring things together for good otherwise? And He has to be all-powerful, because it is not enough to just know. It is not enough for Him to know everything in your life and look at it and say, "Oh no, I would have stopped it if I could." God is all-knowing and all-powerful.
And we know God causes all things — and I tried to think about "all things," and I concluded that all things means everything. It is a happy thought, and you see it all through the culture. If you have friends or family members who do not care about God, or the things of God, or the Bible, they have their own version of this. Their version is the little saying that goes, "Everything happens for a reason." Well, if everything is happening for a reason, think about it — somebody has to be moving, in control, in authority, driving. If everything is happening for a reason, there has to be somebody behind it, moving it. Paul tells us: we know God causes all things.
One author writes, "No matter what happens in our lives, as His children, the providence of God uses it for our temporal as well as our eternal benefit — sometimes by saving us from tragedies, and sometimes by sending us through them in order to draw us closer to Him." Everything in your life — that suffering, your version of it — happens for a reason. It is either caused by or allowed by God. And if that is not true, He is not God.
The Qualifier — and What It Means to Be a Christian
And we know God causes all things to work together for good. That feels good, does it not? Well, Paul adds a qualifier — the only qualifier. It is to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose. Those would be the people the Bible calls Christians.
What is a Christian? God saved me in 1980, and since then I have done a lot of teaching, had a lot of one-on-ones, and been in a lot of settings. I have asked the question "Are you a Christian?" hundreds of times, and I have had hundreds of answers. This is my favorite. I was sitting with a guy and I said to him, "Are you a Christian?" And he said, "Not in the biblical sense." So here we go — because I do not want you to claim the first part of that verse if the second part is not true. I do not want you to walk out of here and say, "Well, everything works together for me — I do not care about God or any of the things of God, but it all works together for me."
A Christian is not based on what we do. I am not a Christian based on what I do. I am a Christian based on what I believe. We believe that we are sinners. Our sin has separated us from God. Jesus came, lived, died, and rose from the dead so that we could have eternal life. If you believe in Him, you have eternal life.
And actually, in the immediate context of what Paul is writing here, that is exactly what he is saying. Look at Romans 8:28 — "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Then in verse 29: "Those He foreknew, He predestined. Those He predestined, He called. Those He called, He justified. Those He justified, He glorified." He is talking about eternal life. You can know for sure. I know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I know that at the end of this life I am going to heaven — not because of me, but because of what Jesus said and what Jesus did.
And that is how he ends chapter 8: "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing" — and that is everything other than God, since everything other than God is a created thing — "is able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus." That is an overwhelming thought. You are as certain of heaven as the saints who are already there.
The Word to Underline — "Know"
In my life and experience, the word I focus on in this verse — the word I would ask you to underline, circle, or make a note of — is the word "know." And we know. And we know God causes all things to work together for good. It does not always seem that way. Perhaps it does not even always feel that way. I got a call on Friday —
What You Know Trumps What You Feel
A phrase comes up in my teaching every two or three weeks, no matter what the subject is. Here it is: what you know trumps what you feel. This really comes into play when it comes to suffering. When suffering comes, you have all these feelings — Where is God? Did I do something wrong?
That question, whether sin is behind our suffering, is actually addressed in John chapter 9. The disciples are walking to the city, they see a man who has been blind from birth, and they ask the question that reflected conventional wisdom: whose sin caused this — this man's or his parents'? Jesus said it was neither. This man was going to become a display case for the work of God, because Jesus was about to heal him. So when you are in the middle of suffering and ask, "Am I suffering because of my sin?" — well, in a broad sense, sin brings death and all of that into the world, but that is not necessarily the answer to your particular situation.
Here is what I know. When I start to suffer, I get a distorted view. I do not see things clearly. God says He will never leave me or forsake me, but it feels like He has. Some of you are sitting here right now feeling exactly that — flat, empty, stale. It feels that way, but here is what you know: He said He would never leave you or forsake you, so He has not left you. It only feels that way. What you know trumps what you feel.
The Command to Count It Joy
Turn to the right in your Bible to the book of James. I want to put this passage alongside Romans 8:28 for two reasons. First, the subject is very similar. Second, notice the key word from Romans 8:28 appears again in verse 3 — the word *knowing*. You can write the word "fact" right outside this verse.
He says, "Consider it all joy." He puts it in the imperative form — it is a command, because this is not a natural response. We are not supposed to merely act joyful, and we are not supposed to just reluctantly persist. We are supposed to be joyful. And he says "brethren," because he is speaking again to believers — those we saw in Romans 8:28, those who are loving God and are called according to His purpose — "when you encounter various trials."
Just from general observation, you can look at verse 2 and notice one word you understand immediately from your own language: the word *when*. It does not read, "Consider it joy, my brother, *if* you encounter various trials," but *when* you do. Why? Because this is life. This is why we say suffering is universal. The command, given to you and to me as believers, is to count it all joy when we encounter various trials.
Why are we able to do that? Because we know something — we know that the testing of our faith produces endurance. Let me read a couple of paraphrases that help open this up. The Message says: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows your true colors." And then this piece of advice: "Don't try to get out of anything prematurely" — meaning, don't try to escape trials before they have done their work. Phillips renders it this way: "When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your life, my brother, don't resist them as intruders, but welcome them as friends, realizing that they come to test your faith and to produce in you a quality of endurance."
Many-Colored Trials
There is so much packed into this passage. Here is what I want you to see. The word translated *various* in "various trials" literally means many-colored. There is not just one set of trials. What is a trial for you may not be a significant issue for me, or vice versa. Count it all joy, my brother, when you encounter these many-colored trials.
As you look at verse 2 alongside verse 3, notice that the Greek word translated *trials* in verse 2 is the same word translated *testing* in verse 3. It is a process by which we see what is really there — what is actually present. General Motors used to have a large facility on the east side of town. At one time it was called the proving grounds, though it became known as the GM testing grounds. They would take cars that were in the process of development and bring them out there, often in July and August, in the rigors of a difficult environment — dirt flying, intense heat. It became a proving ground because what it did was reveal what was actually there in those vehicles. These trials and tests that come along do exactly the same thing in us.
Endurance Through Trials
The testing of your faith produces endurance. In the midst of suffering and trials, God wants you to have patience that gets you through the trial, but the ultimate goal is endurance. The physical plane is always a great illustration of what is happening spiritually.
Sandy wasn't here for the first hour because she got up this morning and ran. She is in the middle of an injury, so she is not racing, but she is still working out. She ran maybe 25 miles this week. She runs on weekends, and one day will be a long run of four or five miles, another day four or five miles, and then a longer run. The shorter runs are designed to increase speed, and the long run builds endurance. She does the same thing in swimming, all so that she becomes more proficient as an athlete in her sport.
You have been through something similar. You go to the gym for the first time — it is January 4th and you get on the treadmill, set it at 3.2 with a five-degree incline, go maybe ten minutes, and you are completely out of gas. But you do it again and again, you add a little bit, you increase the time, and pretty soon you can go further. You have increased your endurance.
Translate that now from the physical to the spiritual. God is saying your tests are spiritual aerobics to produce your endurance. When you say, "I want to go the distance, I want to be a man or woman of God, I want to cross the finish line, I want to finish strong," God hears that — and what He hears is: let me suffer, test me, because that is how I get strong.
Suffering Is Normal, Not a Penalty
All of that is a word of encouragement to help you get things in perspective, to begin to see things as they really are. This suffering is not unique to you. We all have it. And here is something you do not hear enough: suffering is the normal part of the Christian life. It is not a penalty. God does not have you in the penalty box. God is not punishing you.
There may be some consequence involved — you may have done something and for that there are consequences. But God is going to allow and bring trials, suffering, and pain into your life for a reason. I cannot necessarily give you the specific reason, but I can give you the overarching reason and then a dozen or so specifics. The overarching reason is this: for your good and His glory.
If I passed a microphone around this room and asked everyone to share when they saw God work in their life in a significant way, I would bet anything that 95% of the stories — if not more — would have at their core suffering, pain, and hardship. "I saw God really work in the middle of a cancer diagnosis, in the middle of losing a parent, losing a child, losing a spouse, losing a job."
The Trial of Success
When we talk about "various trials" — multi-colored, many kinds — consider this role play in your own mind. If I told you God is going to test you tomorrow, what would you picture? In all likelihood, you came up with some scenario involving loss: my child gets sick, I lose my job, I lose my house, I get sick physically.
But consider the trial of success. I had essentially never been sick in my life for 63 years. In the last two years, all I have been is sick. It is not much of a test to restrict your time when you are not feeling well. The real question is: what did you do with your time when you did feel well? If you do not have any money, it is not a huge test of your stewardship either, and your mind tends to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Then these things come into your life and you find yourself saying, "God, I don't get it." Taking my own life as an example — for 30 years I lived totally, completely, utterly, and wholly for myself. God, if You were going to make me sick, why didn't You do it then? Why now? And here is an answer: because He is God, and He will do whatever He chooses to do.
Specific Reasons We Suffer
I have made a list of some of the reasons we suffer. Some you have already heard: patience, maturity, to teach us, to purify us, to make us like Christ. But my favorite is this: to reveal ourselves to ourselves.
Some of you think you are quite spiritually mature. Then along comes the smallest little test. Not long ago a man cut me off in a church parking lot. Not a big deal — you have heard that illustration a thousand times. I pulled up next to him at a red light, kept going, went into a store, and he was in there. He said, "I'm really sorry, man. I didn't know it was you." And my thought was: who did you think it was? Do you cut people off normally? You may not be the spiritual giant you think you are.
Conversely, you may think you are not very strong spiritually, but over time you find yourself saying, "Look what God did." And people will even start saying to you, "I am amazed. I could never do that." That is God revealing you to yourself in a different direction.
Suffering Produces Compassion for Others
Here is another thing God will do. He will put you through trials and suffering so that you have compassion for others. Paul writes these words in 2 Corinthians chapter 1: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercy and God of all comforts, who comforts..."
Comfort Born from Experience
Paul says, "He comforts us in our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." He is saying: you have a story now.
A couple of months ago I was at the mall, and I had slowed down. I was getting ready to step onto the escalator when I noticed an older woman ahead of me, hesitating at the edge. Two years ago, my first thought would have been, *Go. Get on it. This is not a big deal.* But now I understand something I did not before. When your foot goes onto that step, it is a major commitment — there is no backing up. You do not get that until your own body does not work very well.
The same is true of so many kinds of pain. You do not understand a migraine until you have had one. For years I dealt with people struggling with chronic fatigue and thought, *I get tired too.* Now I wake up needing to take a nap. It just goes on and on. Suffering gives you a story, and that story equips you to meet others exactly where they are.
Keeping an Eternal Perspective
Why would God allow this? Ultimately, for your good and His glory. A.W. Tozer writes that it is doubtful whether God can bless a man deeply without first bringing him through suffering.
In the midst of suffering and pain, keep a focus. Keep a perspective. Do not lose heart, though the outer man is decaying — the inner man is being renewed day by day. You need that eternal perspective, and you find it in His Word, in His Word alone.
Two Practical Steps
Let me close with two practical notes. First, if you are hurting, be appropriately open about it. Do not be afraid to share what you are going through. The caution I would offer — because I have done this myself — is that you can become so absorbed in your pain that you are pouring out everything to everyone around you, and before long people begin to pull away. But there is a right and healthy way to share your struggle. That is the whole message of Second Corinthians. There are people all around you who have been through something similar, or who can at least come alongside you and offer encouragement.
The second thing is this: the fastest way out of a self-absorbed pity is to get your eyes off yourself and onto other people. The longer you sit with pain, the more it absorbs you — it becomes your whole world, it dominates every conversation, and every time someone asks how you are doing you are pulled right back into it. The fastest way out is to say, "I'm doing fine — how are you doing?" Get involved in a connect class, serve in children's ministry, come out to First Friday. Turning outward is what breaks the inward spiral.
Closing
Suffering is a normal part of life. But we know that God causes all things to work together for good. We know that trials produce endurance. We know that God loves us and that He causes or allows everything in our lives for our good and His glory. Our Savior Himself suffered — through His life and on the cross — and that is what we commemorate right now as we come to communion.
Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word. Thank You for reminding us of what we can know. Help us to hold onto the attitude that what we know trumps what we feel. We are not denying our feelings — they are real — but we stand on Your promise and Your Word. God, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that You are our Shepherd and we shall not want. Thank You for Your protection. We pray to You, we celebrate You, we worship You. In Jesus' name, amen.