Making Sense of Suffering
Sometimes Jesus suffers with us instead of rescuing us from it—because of what He's doing in it.
THIS ISN’T HOW WE EXPECT LOVE TO WORK
We often assume:
“If God really loved me, He would have stopped it.”
But God’s love doesn’t always express itself in protection from pain—sometimes, it reveals itself in presence within pain.
The God of the Bible doesn’t stand far off.
He doesn’t rescue from a distance.
He steps into the fire, the valley, the abuse, the wilderness, the abandonment—and He stays.
Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, for I am the LORD your God.”
HE SUFFERS WITH US BECAUSE HE LOVES US
When Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11), He knew He was about to raise him from the dead. But He still chose to enter into the grief first.
That tells us something:
Jesus isn’t just here to fix pain—He’s here to bear the pain with us.
He honors sorrow by sharing it.
He doesn’t bypass the ache; He enters it.
Hebrews 4:15: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”
Your suffering matters to Him—not because it interrupts His plan, but because it is part of the plan He’s redeeming. And the cross shows us that.
HE SHAPES US THROUGH THE SUFFERING
This can be the hardest part to accept: Sometimes the healing we need comes through the pain, not around it.
If Jesus rescued us instantly from every hard thing, we might never:
Learn to trust Him deeply
Become more compassionate toward others
Be set free from our self-sufficiency
See the power of resurrection after death
In suffering, God often forms:
Perseverance (Romans 5:3–5)
Refined faith (1 Peter 1:6–7)
Deeper intimacy (Psalm 34:18)
He’s not punishing us—He’s shaping us. Like a gardener pruning, like a potter pressing clay. What He’s forming in the fire is more lasting than what we would have chosen for ourselves. He’s forming us into the likeness of His Son.
JESUS IS NOT PASSIVE — HE’S PATIENTLY REDEEMING
To us, it may feel like Jesus is “just sitting there.” But biblically, what’s actually happening is this:
He’s interceding (Hebrews 7:25)
He’s recording every tear (Psalm 56:8)
He’s working good, even in evil (Romans 8:28)
He’s preparing something eternal (2 Cor. 4:17)
What He’s doing in it may not be visible yet—but it is certain.
The cross looked like the end of the story. But it was the turning point of history.
If God let His own Son suffer—yet brought resurrection—what might He be doing with your pain?
If God turned the worst event in history into the best event in history, what might He be doing in your life circumstances?
BEFORE HE RESCUES, HE REMAINS
Yes, there will be a day of full rescue: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes…” (Revelation 21:4)
But until that day, He chooses to sit with us, suffer with us, and sanctify us—because love that only removes pain can fall short of what we truly need.
Jesus’ love goes deeper:
It transforms pain.
It gives purpose to our pain.
It meets us in the pit and says: “You are not forgotten. You are mine.”
Jesus isn’t distant or indifferent. He is the Man of Sorrows, who knows betrayal, abandonment, injustice, and grief. He didn't avoid suffering—He endured it, with us and for us, so one day, He could end it forever.
