Why does pain exist, why do we suffer. If God is a loving God shouldn’t he protect me from harm? Ask yourself, what are the rich good looking people who grow up without any trouble? Are they happy? Do they have great character or are they incredibly shallow? That is basically the answer. How can we grow without challenges? Do these same spoilt kids need to turn to God? So why should a broken person turn to God? Let’s have a look at the bible, starting with the life of Job.
We need to often be humbled to turn to Christ, Peter sinking in the water after walking on it “Lord save me” In the beatitudes, the first one is God blesses the poor in spirit, Matthew 5:2. Poor as in a begger, God actually wants us to come like this.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10
Job’s trials;
His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?” Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:9-10
Job says this after all he went through.
I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5
Ask those apostles what pain is like?
For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have. Philippians 1:29-30
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding — because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin — in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 1 Peter 4:1-3
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4
And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5
When trials come. If we turn to God instead of sex, porn, chocolate, TV, friends, alcohol ect. If when it’s hard we learn to seek God. This will produce endurance. When we can endure by seeking God first, we build godly character and this is what gives us hope to keep going, which will not disappoint because we are being led by faith.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
The Heavens Declare 