How Suffering Magnifies God in Our Lives

The story of Job isn’t the one we go to for encouragement often, is it? Job has suffered wildly throughout the story, in ways that make many of us shudder. But the darkness of the struggle serves to heighten the joy that comes at the end of the book. Beyond this, it also serves to strengthen our faith in and reliance on God during times of suffering, thus magnifying Him in our lives. Let’s dive in!

We often shy away from suffering, don’t we? Maybe we feel like pain and loss should not be a part of the Christian journey. This is clearly not the case as Jesus was a man acquainted with grief and suffering (Isaiah 53:3). While I can’t say I celebrate the times of suffering I’ve been through or am currently walking in, I can say that the seasons of it makes me more compassionate. I can say that I learn a little more gentleness and kindness. Suffering also often makes me more patient. In this way, God uses suffering as a teacher to make us more like himself.

God allows us to walk in seasons of suffering not because he does not care, but because he loves us deeply and sees more than we can. When we suffer, we need to learn to accept grace from the Lord and help from others.

I feel like this verse is an important one for us to lean into not because it shows us how to get through the pain to get to the good stuff. If we just read the verse above without diving into the story of Job, we might get that skewed picture. This is where context is so important.

One of the reasons this verse teaches us so much is because it reminds us Who restores and Who gives. So often when we suffer, we might be tempted to look inward. Or maybe it’s just me? Are you like me and think such questions as:

Why is this happening to me?

Did I do something wrong?

Am I supposed to be learning a lesson?

The questions can be endless. But when we suffer, the best thing we can do is look upward and outward, not inward. The questions above aren't wrong to ask, but only up unto a point. We aren't here on earth to "be the best me I can be" despite what culture might tell us. I'm not saying we shouldn't exercise to improve our health, learn new skills or work to improve our lives. But the main point of our lives is to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Suffering can help us reorient ourselves to the Lord and remind of our purpose.

If we can focus more on Him than on our suffering, He can turn the suffering into magnifying glass to see Him more clearly. When we look outward to others, we can begin to see the pain of others more clearly. Our own experiences with pain can make us more compassionate. This is one of the many purposes of suffering- when we let it, we learn to love more deeply. 

So, friends, while this week's verse might seem to focus on the recovering of Job's life and fortune, let's remember the deeper story. Just as Job's suffering was a powerful tool that the Lord used to teach his heart more about the Lord, our own suffering can become a powerful tool in our lives as well.

We'd love to pray for you if you find yourself in a season of suffering. Please comment below anything you'd like prayer for and we'll join with you!