69 | Ask the right questions about suffering

Sometimes we get bogged down in WHY am I suffering? Scripture does not really give us a direct explanation of why evil and its consequent suffering exist. Instead of a tidy explanation, we see the story of what He has done in history, in the Jewish people, and in Christ. We create theories and explanations but these fall short. “I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution”, said St. Augustine. Asking WHY we are suffering in a particular way can easily get us stuck in frustration. Because we cannot “solve” our own suffering. God will draw a purpose for you out of your suffering. That’s because God can draw good out of evil. Even though He allows evil to take place, it is not because He wants you to suffer. He does not create evil or suffering. What you learn from suffering is not “why” you suffered. Suffering is transformative and draws us more closely into seeing and experiencing God’s glory – the glory of the magnificent, tremendous power of the presence of God ruling over heaven and earth in His amazing, redeemed, new creation kingdom.

Mentioned in the show

Lisa Mladnich’s book True Radiance, which is out of print but used copies are available, try Amazon. Listen to her interview in Episode 67.

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