"We were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living; but we ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not have confidence in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:8-9).
"If indeed our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day. For our momentary lightness of affliction works out for us, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:16-17).
"For they indeed disciplined us for a few days as it seemed good to them, but He for our profit that we might partake of His holiness" (Heb. 12:10).
"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to the purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:28-29).
"God...who gives life to the dead" (Rom. 4:17).
"I am...the living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever" (Rev. 1:17-18).
Suffering is the lot of all the inhabitants of the earth. None can evade it. Some people imagine that if you believe on the Lord and live in His fear, you will be immune from all ills; yet numbers of Christians are grievously afflicted, and some who live in vital touch with God are in constant suffering.
The unsaved keep asking: "If God loves the world, why does He allow all this sorrow?" And the saved keep asking: "If God loves His children, why does He let so much trouble befall them?" Others go still further and inquire: "How does it come about that, the more spiritual you become, the more hardship you meet?" These are practical questions, not mere theoretical quibbles, and we have to face them.
Why should man, who has been created by God, be subject to suffering throughout the whole course of his life? Why should men still continue to suffer after they become children of God? And why should men's sufferings increase with the increase of their devotion to God?
In my early days, I spent a considerable amount of time looking into this problem of suffering; but because my knowledge of the Lord was superficial, I was only able to draw these conclusions from my studies: (1) Man is prone to error; therefore suffering is necessary for his correction. (2) Suffering is needful if we are to comfort others, for only they who themselves have suffered can truly help other people. (3) The discipline of suffering is essential if we are to acquire endurance, for, as Romans 5 says: "Tribulation works endurance." (4) Suffering is inevitable if we are to be molded into vessels that will be of use to God.