A Secret of Suffering That Provides Hope Amid the Hardship

Sometimes the pain of this life becomes stifling. We wonder if we’ll ever rise above it. But there’s a secret of suffering that provides us hope amid the hardship.

The stories kept coming. One after the other, people shared anguished words of hard circumstances.

• A continued fight to survive after a multiyear-long battle with a cancer that appears to be regrouping for another assault.
• Another who was bedridden from an, as yet, undiagnosed disease.
• Yet still another given mere months to live, maybe a little longer if he accepts treatment that will rob him of truly living.

My heart broke. The day had started joyously, a celebration of achievement and new adventures to come. Just as quickly, it was tempered with the sobering reminder that suffering will always be a part of life in this fallen world. 

Secret of Suffering

Like it or not, our days will be punctuated with pain until the Lord returns (John 16:33b). It’s tempting to give into the sadness of that truth. But a secret of suffering that keeps my heart above the sorrow is that it doesn’t have the last word.

Yes, we’ll suffer. Yes, some days will be filled with sorrow, frustration and confusion. No matter how strong our faith is, no matter how often we pray or how elegant our prayers are, we will have trials.

But it doesn’t end there. Suffering doesn’t win…not for Christians. Certainly not in the next life; not in this one either.

Suffering and Goodness

We have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who guides, convicts, strengthens us. And because of the Lord’s constant presence, beauty and comfort coexist with hardship. Goodness intermingles with pain. Joy occupies a place alongside and amid sorrow.

“For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows” (2 Corinthians 1:5). 

There’s no denying that because of sin, suffering holds a place in the temporal world. But it does not have the last word. The Psalms ring of this truth, exposing this secret of suffering. 

“Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance” (Psalm 130:7). 

“He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord. His heart is assured; he will not fear. In the end he will look in triumph on his foes” (Psalm 112:7-8).  

“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

Beauty and Hope in the Midst

Often the psalmist reveals his wretchedness only to declare in the next stanza his victory in the God he knows to be faithful. That’s beauty. That’s hope. 

When suffering seems endless, remind yourself of the truth of its fragility. Even in the worst pain, goodness exists, because God has not abandoned us.

Open your senses and your heart to catching glimpses of it. 

Not only are pain and suffering tempered on this earth, for Christians, they also have an expiration date. One day, there will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4).

Hold tight to that promise, and until it’s fulfilled, find comfort also in the truth that suffering doesn’t win in this life either. 

No matter how strong our faith is, no matter how often we pray or how elegant our prayers are, we will have trials. But it doesn't end there. Suffering doesn't win...not for Christians. Certainly not in the next life; not in this one… Share on X

Sometimes the pain of this life becomes stifling. We wonder if we'll ever rise above it. But there's a secret of suffering that provides us hope amid the hardship. Share on X