Today we went to the funeral of a long-time friend’s mother. It can be hard to know what to think in such times. We rejoice that she is free from her years of suffering, and that she is rejoicing in the presence of her Savior. But we are tempted to ask why she had to suffer for so many years.
When someone who seems to genuinely love God suffers so much, I am often amazed by God’s grace to her. There is a sense in which such a person has been given a special task that is unusual, both in its difficulty and its reward.
Consider the most famous book in the Bible on suffering: Job. The story of Job describes the pain of a man who suffers for no apparent reason. His friends erroneously accuse him of wrongdoing, assuming that all suffering is the result of sin. Our culture has possibly gone too far the other way, assuming that suffering is never the result of sin. But there are still people who seem to suffer for no reason. Job apparently never learned why he suffered, but we benefit from his experiences through an inspired book describing both his suffering and the dynamics that initiated it. Clearly, the point of Job is that people, sometimes righteous people, suffer—that suffering isn’t necessarily the product of an individual’s sin.
Later, in John 9, Jesus’ disciples apparently hadn’t learned the lesson. They asked Jesus whether the man born blind had sinned or his parents had sinned that he should have been born blind. Jesus revealed their misunderstanding: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
This brief statement clarifies some of God’s working. Sometimes God lets people suffer so that He can show his power in them. God has given them a special honor by allowing them to suffer.
In attempting to be honest, some Christians will observe that no one is really a good or righteous person. Everyone has sinned and thus deserves to suffer in some sense. I think that this notion is wrong-headed and unhelpful. Of course everyone has sinned, but Christians need not do penance. Their suffering has been taken by Jesus. He has given them peace with God, so they can rejoice in hope of the glory of God, even through suffering. Their suffering isn’t easier to explain by observing that they still have a sin nature.
Instead it seems a great honor that God would let them suffer. If some people suffer merely so that the works of God could be displayed in them, then God is letting them be a special vehicle for displaying His glory. God takes his own glory very seriously, so that if God trusts a mere person with his glory, He shows great confidence in their ability to bring Him praise. Of course He provides special grace to those people, but it is nonetheless a great privilege. A vote of confidence from God is the best you can get.
I think this notion plays out in observation. Unbelievers seem sorry and confused, even despairing, when they are confronted with adversity. Christians who suffer from some physical ailment often have extraordinary ministry with others around them; their doctors and nurses and fellow patients remark about their generous and humble spirit. Their ability to affect those around them seems to grow exponentially. I can think of at least four individuals and families who seem to have been given this special ministry in recent years. They are the ones that seem to need ministering to, but they end up encouraging those who try to encourage them. Surely God is with them.
So it’s hard to know what to think and how to minister to those who have lost loved ones, especially after that one has suffered for years. We are naturally disposed toward sympathy, and perhaps some is warranted. But my sympathy is often counterpoised with wonder and admiration, that God would honor these people with such an important task. In this we can see how the Holy Spirit would command us to rejoice in sufferings. The death of such a saint is the final reward for successfully completing her calling.