Lesson 113: Faith Through Suffering

Key Scriptures: Romans 8:18-28, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-7

Teaching Points:

Suffering: Trusting God in the Trial

Key Thought: Christians are not promised a life without suffering, but we are promised that God is with us in our suffering and can use our trials for His purposes.

1. Scripture Does Not Promise Freedom From Suffering

Jesus never promised His followers that life would be free from difficulty.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

— John 16:33

Becoming a Christian does not remove us from the difficulties of living in a fallen world. Believers experience sickness, loss, disappointment, persecution, hardship, and death just as others do.

The difference is that Christians do not face suffering alone. God is with us, and we have the assurance that suffering is not the final chapter.

Application: When suffering comes, don’t conclude that God has abandoned you. His presence is not measured by the absence of trouble.

2. God Can Use Trials to Strengthen and Mature Our Faith

James gives us a perspective that is very different from our natural response to suffering:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

— James 1:2–3

James does not say that suffering itself is enjoyable. Rather, we can have joy because we know what God can accomplish through the trial.

Trials test our faith. They teach us perseverance and expose areas where we need to grow. Faith that has never been tested has never had the opportunity to demonstrate its endurance.

Application: When you face a trial, ask not only, “How can I get out of this?” Ask, “What is God teaching me through this?”

3. Suffering Can Expose What We Truly Trust

Hardship often reveals where our confidence really lies.

When everything is going well, it is easy to say that we trust God. But difficulty can expose whether our security is actually in God or in our health, finances, relationships, possessions, plans, or ability to control circumstances.

The psalmist wrote:

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

— Psalm 118:8

Trials can therefore become opportunities for spiritual examination. They can reveal misplaced confidence and redirect our trust toward God.

Application: When suffering exposes fear or anxiety in your life, don’t simply try to suppress those feelings. Let them point you toward the areas where you need to trust God more deeply.

4. Present Suffering Must Be Viewed in Light of Future Glory

Paul understood suffering, yet he placed it in the context of eternity:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

— Romans 8:18

Our present suffering can seem overwhelming because we experience it now. But Scripture tells us that this present life is not the whole story.

For the Christian, suffering is temporary. God’s promised glory is eternal.

Paul later described our present troubles as producing an eternal perspective:

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:17

This does not minimize suffering. It puts suffering into its proper perspective.

Application: When present circumstances seem overwhelming, deliberately remind yourself that what you see today is temporary, while what God has promised for eternity is permanent.

5. God Can Accomplish Purposes We Cannot Yet See

One of the hardest things about suffering is that we often do not understand why God has allowed it.

Job experienced tremendous suffering without initially knowing what God was accomplishing. Joseph suffered betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment before eventually seeing how God had used those circumstances to preserve many lives.

Joseph later told his brothers:

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”

— Genesis 50:20

We may never understand every reason for our suffering in this life. But we can trust the God who sees what we cannot see.

Romans 8:28 reminds us:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The promise is not that everything that happens is good. The promise is that God can work all things together for His good purposes.

Application: When you cannot understand what God is doing, trust what you know about who God is. His purposes are greater than our understanding.

Conclusion

Suffering is not evidence that God has forgotten His people. Scripture teaches us that suffering is part of life in a fallen world, but God can use it to accomplish His purposes.

When trials come:

  • Don’t expect a life without suffering.
  • Allow trials to strengthen your faith.
  • Let suffering reveal where your trust really lies.
  • Look beyond present suffering toward future glory.
  • Trust God even when you cannot see what He is accomplishing.

We may not understand the purpose of every trial, but we can trust the God who does.

Prayer

Father, help us to trust You when we experience suffering and hardship. Give us faith to believe that You are with us even when we cannot understand what You are doing. Use our trials to strengthen and mature our faith. Help us recognize the things we have been trusting instead of You. Give us an eternal perspective so that we can look beyond present suffering to the glory You have promised. And when we cannot see Your purposes, help us trust Your wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Discussion Questions:

  • What can suffering reveal about our faith?
  • How can trials produce spiritual maturity?
  • Why is future glory important when we suffer?

Practical Application:

  • In difficulty, ask: “Lord, what are You teaching me?”
  • Pray for someone who is experiencing suffering.