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“πΏπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘‘, 𝐼 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑝 π‘šπ‘¦ π‘œπ‘€π‘› π‘π‘™π‘Žπ‘›π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘œπ‘ π‘’π‘ , π‘Žπ‘™π‘™ π‘šπ‘¦ π‘œπ‘€π‘› π‘‘π‘’π‘ π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘ , β„Žπ‘œπ‘π‘’π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘Žπ‘šπ‘π‘–π‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘ , π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝐼 π‘Žπ‘π‘π‘’π‘π‘‘ π‘‡β„Žπ‘¦ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘šπ‘¦ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝐼 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑝 π‘šπ‘¦π‘ π‘’π‘™π‘“, π‘šπ‘¦ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, π‘šπ‘¦ π‘Žπ‘™π‘™, π‘’π‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘™π‘¦ π‘‘π‘œ π‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘’, π‘‘π‘œ 𝑏𝑒 π‘‡β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘’ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ… 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘šπ‘’ π‘›π‘œπ‘€ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘ π‘’π‘Žπ‘™ π‘šπ‘’ π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘‡β„Žπ‘¦ π‘†π‘π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘‘. π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜ π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘‡β„Žπ‘¦ π‘€β„Žπ‘œπ‘™π‘’ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛 π‘šπ‘¦ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘‘, π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘π‘œ π‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 πΆβ„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘‘. π΄π‘šπ‘’π‘›.”

This prayer was found inscribed in a small bible in communist China in 1934, after two young missionaries were murdered for their faith. Betty Scott Stam asked that God would do whatever He deemed necessary to work out His will in her life, no matter the suffering it would bring or the price she would pay. At the age of 28, Betty would be paraded naked through the streets of the town she ministered, and was beheaded alongside her husband, three months after giving birth to their first child. If Betty knew that her daughter would grow up without her parents, would she have willingly asked for suffering? Did she really know what she was praying for? Would she have thought this tragedy necessary in order to work out God’s will in her life?

Recently, I have been meditating on the idea of suffering in the life of a believer. I’ve been teaching through the book of Job with my Sunday night children’s class. This story is often used in some Christian circles to tout the idea that when Satan steals from you through various trials, suffering, or pain, God will restore all that is lost. They use the story of Job to spread a narrative that suffering is simply an agent of the enemy. If a believer trusts in God, they say, then surely all things will be made right, be put back together, and will be restored 30, 60, and 100 fold. What they are attempting to find is a palatable reason for their pain and suffering, because blessings, not pain, is the evidence of Divine providence in the life of a believer, is it not?

The book of Job tells us that he was a blameless (not sinless) man, obedient to God, and full of faith. He was blessed by God with great wealth and a large family (Job 1:1-6). After a quick introduction to Job, however, the story takes a bizarre turn to a birds eye view of a heavenly conversation between God and Satan. Satan enters God’s throne room to give an account of his work on earth as “The Accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Finding no one worthy enough to accuse, God suggests that Satan try His faithful servant Job. Don’t miss that detail. God offers Job up. He allows Satan to bankrupt Job, kill his children and servants, and eventually destroy Job’s health and reputation.

As you recall, Job initially responds to these tragedies with submission to God’s control over his life, saying “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (1:21). However, as the story progresses, he begins sinking deeper into his sorrow. He is deeply broken over the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health. But his perspective towards suffering ultimately changes because he is shattered by God not acting in accordance to the way Job deemed appropriate. He questioned the very character and heart of God (6:8-13). Job essentially said to God, “I did not deserve this kind of treatment from You. I did nothing wrong. This is not the way God Almighty should treat His people. I cannot trust you any longer. Leave me alone and stop picking on me”. Job’s sufferings had broken him and revealed a debilitating impurity within his heart. Job believed himself to be sinless and without fault, but he found fault in God’s dealings with mankind. Job effectively placed a verdict of injustice upon the just God of the universe.

Eventually, God had enough of Job’s complaints and his friends’ deeply flawed speeches. It was His turn to speak. Questioning Job from a whirlwind, God challenged the “faultfinder” (40:2). God asked impossibly difficult questions like: “Where were you when I established the earth?” (38:4), and “who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (38:6) and “Who put wisdom in the heart or gave the mind understanding? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?” (38:36). Job was left speechless. With his folly on full display while standing in the presence of the holy God, all Job could do was repent. “I retract, and I repent, sitting on dust and ashes” (42:6).

Job’s story ended with restoration and joy. His wealth was returned and multiplied. His reputation was restored and his family grew again. But not all stories of suffering are wrapped in a bow of restoration. What happens when things are not restored and replaced? What happens when the business crumbles, the healing never comes, the marriage ends, or the young missionary, is tragically murdered?

We see in the story of Job that he and his friends were fundamentally flawed in their understanding of suffering. They believed that suffering comes to a believer as a punishment for unrepentant/hidden sin in his or her life. This flawed understanding of the role and hand of God in suffering, led to a fundamental flaw in Job’s view of God’s character. Suffering is not the result of a bored or vindictive God, nor is it arbitrary and meaningless. Job’s suffering was the conduit of grace, used by God to bring about His perfect plan in Job’s heart and life.

Christian, remember that our earthly journey of becoming more like Christ is paved with stones of suffering. Suffering is a tool and like any tool, its usefulness is entirely dependent on who is wielding it. In Satan’s hands, suffering is meant to cause a believer to curse God to His face (Job 1:12). It’s meant to break the trust between Father and child. But in the hands of a loving and faithful God, suffering is used as a Refiner's fire, a means of grace to shape and purify us into images of His Son. Its heat causes the impurities that lie deep within us to separate and rise to the top. These impurities are carefully and expertly removed by His patience and kindness. And as we are purified in our suffering, our hearts are drawn to our God and we find the strength we need to continue onward.

Believer, if the marriage fails, the business goes under, the money doesn’t come, or the child never returns, your suffering is not wasted. It is used to work out God’s purpose in your heart and life and draw you near to God. Though you may never understand the "why" or see a resolution of your suffering, you can view your pain through the eyes of eternity. You can confidently say that today’s trials, achieves in you endurance, character, hope, and abundant joy (James 1:2-4; Rom.5:3-5), which points you towards knowing Christ more. You can receive the suffering offered to you with open hands, knowing as Betty Scott Stam knew, that God will use whatever means necessary to work out His will in your life. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 π’šπ’π’–, 𝒕𝒐 π’π’Šπ’—π’† π’Šπ’” π‘ͺπ’‰π’“π’Šπ’”π’•, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 π’…π’Šπ’† π’Šπ’” π’ˆπ’‚π’Šπ’ (Phil. 1:21).