Christian Joy in the Face of Suffering

This is the English version of a little "speech" that I'm supposed to deliver. I thank God for giving me the ability to write it.


      Let us begin with a brief description of suffering. We conventionally know it to be a state of mental and physical pain and misery, possibly leading to death. The Bible also lets us know that suffering is universal and will increase in frequency and intensity with the coming of the End of the Age. "Such things must happen… Nation will rise against nation… There will be earthquakes… famines… Brother will betray brother… All men will hate you…" These quotes from Mark 13:7-8, 12-13 seem to paint a very bleak picture of the fate awaiting all of mankind. So why have Christians not lost hope in the face of so much misery? Sometimes the reason for our suffering cannot be fully comprehended by our own limited understanding. Therefore, we cannot assume that worldly suffering cannot be accommodated into God's love and plans for us. For further elaboration, we turn to Paul the Apostle, who is no stranger to suffering, for what he has to say about this. What gives Paul the ability to rejoice in his sufferings, together with his confidence in this "hope" that all Christians should have?

I can see 3 major reasons to his attitude. The first is that he is aware that suffering can be a trial from God that can have a positive impact on our characters. The second is that his world view is geared towards God's promise of victory and the eternal. The last is that he is aware of a God who suffers with us and loves us.


      (1) Firstly, Paul knows that suffering can be permitted by God as a trial to mold and shape our characters in a positive manner. In Romans 5; 3-4, Paul asserts that "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." It is true that the pain and hardship that we experience can bring out the most positive qualities of our soul. We cannot learn to stand against adversity if we have never met adversity in the face at all!

We may also need sorrow to appreciate the value of rejoicing, and to discover an inner strength that we do not even know we possess. It also takes a person who has suffered to understand and empathize with others who are going through similar ordeals. Perhaps this is God's plan to put us in a better position to serve and help others. It was this understanding and faith that enabled Helen Keller, blind and deaf from early childhood, to say, "I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God." Just as the most beautiful diamonds must be forcefully cut from raw stone, so must our finest character be shaped through the lessons learnt from suffering. It is written in Isaiah 64:8 "We are the clay, you are the potter." Suffering is but one of the potter's tools to mould us into the best people we can be.

That being said, while our characters are being shaped in the present, do we have any hope for the future?

      (2) Next, in Romans 5:1-2, Paul writes that "...we have peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Paul has hope for the future because his world view is geared towards the eternal glory lovingly promised to us by God. That is why Christians have hope even in the face of death. Through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians have a "new life" through a renewed and repaired relationship with God. Jesus rightfully warns us in Luke 12:4-5 to "not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more", but to "fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell", with "hell" being understood as the state of eternal separation of God and Man. As long as our relationship with God remains close throughout, we have nothing to fear and plenty to hope for. This is highlighted in John 11:25-26, where Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."

The resurrection of Jesus Christ further signifies that He has claimed victory over death. Even better, this victory is promised to us who trust in Him.
In John 3, it is written that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" and in John 16:33, Jesus reminds us that "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."


Suffering may destroy our physical bodies in the present, but suffering and death can neither remove our loving bond with God, nor can it invalidate His promise that we will all be resurrected in the second coming, with a glorious body that is imperishable. In other words, every believer is a "co-heir" of the kingdom of heaven with Christ, and we will partake in his glory when His kingdom comes. It is of small wonder that Paul exults in 1 Cor 15:55 "Where, O death, is your sting"?

The sufferings of now can seem strangely insignificant in the light of eternity. A renewed relationship with God, and the future glory promised to us in heaven far outweighs the misery from present worldly suffering. At the end of all the horrible suffering and terrible signs described in the book of Revelations, the final message remains clear: Christ is ultimately victorious over all. Therefore we would do well to heed the advice of Peter the Apostle in 1Peter 4:12-13. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering… but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."

Yet even with the promise of the eternal, is our God one who apathetically observes our suffering from a high pedestal, one who is disconnected with our pain? The answer is a resounding no, and we can draw further comfort and hope from that.


      (3) Paul is comforted in his suffering because he knows that Christians have a God who suffers with us, understands our pain and loves us through all of it. This, together with what we have discussed in the earlier paragraphs, allows him to say with confidence in Romans 8:38-39, that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The intense suffering that Jesus Christ went through is known by all. Mark 14:32-36 describes a particularly emotional series of events in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus describes himself as being "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" in the knowledge of his impending crucifixion. Since our Lord is no stranger to suffering, he is in a very good position to understand and empathize with any pain and misery that we face. We need to look no further than John 11:33-35. It is written that Jesus "was deeply moved in spirit and troubled" and "wept" at the sight of Mary weeping due to the death of her brother, Lazarus. Isaiah 53:3-4 tells us that Christ is one who "was despised… [but yet] took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."

Furthermore, the reason for His suffering in the first place was due to His loving desire to deliver us from sin. We have a God who feels with us and who loves us through everything! Therefore all of us can confidently say that "in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."


      In summary, the reasons for us Christians being able to rejoice even in the face of great suffering are because our characters can be molded through suffering, we have an eternal glory promised to us, and that we are aware of a God who suffers with us and loves us. How should we condition ourselves to face our sufferings in a Christian perspective? I believe that with frequent reading of the Bible, prayer and fellowship, the Holy Spirit will edify and illuminate our understanding of suffering and the correct attitude towards it.

Through this, we have hope for the present, hope for the future, and a loving God who understands what we are going through. What more can we ask for?

In the face of suffering, may we be able to smile and say "O Lord, my ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Your Grace is sufficient for me."