HANDLING GRIEF AND SUFFERING

LUKE 22:39–46

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done”

(Luke 22:42).

Suffering is one of the hard realities of life. The Bible has a lot to say about it, because suffering is one of the results of the sin of man. Sinful man has come up with a variety of false ways of handling suffering. One is to pretend that it does not exist. This is the view of the Christian Science cult. Another is to try to ignore the pain. This is the view of Stoicism.

Unwise Ways of Handling Suffering

Christians also sometimes come up with false and unhelpful ways of handling suffering. Some Christians have gotten the idea that they are to demonstrate happiness and joy all the time, even in the midst of grief and horror. This is not the perspective of the Bible, however. Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb (John 11:35). Paul says to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

Another erroneous response Christians sometimes have is to try to praise God for horrible and grievous things. I once heard a person say that he praised God for crushing his little boy to death under a truck. Undoubtedly this sincere man meant well, but the Bible does not ask us to praise God for suffering, but to praise Him in the midst of suffering.

Jesus prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me.” He did not relish the horrible agony and pain of the cross. In itself this suffering was not good. It would have good results, but the suffering itself was evil.

We are to obey and trust God even as we experience suffering. As we praise Him for who He is, we can say, “Lord, I know that all things work together for my good, so I thank You for what You are doing in my life through this experience.” The experiences of death, grief, loss, and suffering are not good; they are evil, and the proper response to evil is grief, not joy.

CORAM DEO

All of us suffer. Have you avoided coming to grips with your suffering? Perhaps you’ve been trying to pretend it does not exist for you. Perhaps you’ve been trying to force an artificial happiness on yourself. The Bible tells us to take it to the Lord in prayer and cry out to Him. If there is an area of suffering in your life today, confront it directly and talk to God about it. Tell Him your pain and ask Him for grace to bear it and for deliverance.

For further study: Genesis 50:14–26; Ecclesiastes 3:1–8: John 9:1–11; 2 Corinthians 1:3–7

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