Why Do We Suffer? Part 7

We have spent a lot of time talking about the reasons that we suffer. The last reason is perhaps the most stunning of all. Most of us would never guess that the number one reason that we suffer is because of God Himself.

Wait a minute … that can’t be right, can it? Doesn’t God love us? Doesn’t He care about us? Doesn’t He always want what’s best for us?

Of course God loves us. We are His creation, and He created us for that very purpose of pouring out his love upon us and for us to worship Him in return. God has a plan for every one of us. The Bible talks about him bringing that plan to completion.

Philippians 1:6

“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The question, then, becomes, “What is He creating? What does He want from me? What is His idea of completion?”

I Peter 2:4-6 tells us that we are all stones of a house that God is building. We, as stones, need to be conformed into the shape that fits into the spot that is reserved for us. We have rough surfaces that need to be smoothed, jagged edges that need to be chiseled. We have Impurities that need to be removed. We are all unfinished projects and God is molding us into what He designed us to be.

That is where the suffering comes in. Shaping a stone is a rough process. Making a pure and perfect stone out of a rough piece of ore requires refining and tempering. The impure needs to be purified. The unholy needs