I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33, RSV)
Jesus knows that all of us struggle with this difficult issue of suffering, whether our own or that of others we care about. From the very beginning of our fallen world, suffering has been an intrinsic element of the life of every human being. We struggle to understand it for it so often seems random and unmerited: children contract deadly diseases; violence takes the life of a loving parent; war and famine displace innocent families; etc. Our world is full of suffering.
We so often experience this suffering as a big puzzle: why is this happening? who’s responsible? how long will this go on? what’s going to fix the problem? We long to get some kind of intellectual handle on whatever is occurring in an attempt to make us feel less helpless. Sometimes such thinking actually helps if it points us to a course of action that improves the situation. If we choose to seek help or make a change, that’s all to the good.
However, sometimes the search for an explanation leads to frustration, anger, and blame. The desire for a remedy often results in fruitless obsessing which distresses us, takes far too much emotional bandwidth, interrupts our sleep but often leads nowhere. Some folks try to ignore the pain around them entirely by hardening their hearts or distancing themselves from others in the belief that this will lessen their pain. These desperate efforts to gain control over painful situations can drive some to depression or – even worse – to despair.
So how ought we as followers of Jesus approach suffering in a way that imitates him, our model?
If we truly believe that our Father God is all-good, all-powerful, all-wise and all-loving, we must also believe that He has allowed this suffering for his own reasons. He is not the cause of suffering – our sinful world and our fallen state are the source of it.
If we look at the Cross – that most unjust of sufferings which nonetheless gave birth to the greatest blessing this fallen world has ever received – we see that our good God has his reasons. He allows only those things which in his wisdom he knows can be for our good. As Isaiah says, our thoughts are not his thoughts nor our ways his ways (Isaiah 55: 8-9).
Our Heavenly Father understands our struggle. He does not condemn our wrestling with what is happening. Jesus himself struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane to reconcile his human will with the will of his Father.
At some point in our struggles we have to acknowledge that understanding is not what’s needed; faith is. The kind of faith that is able to affirm that God always knows what he’s doing and that all that he’s doing is for our best, no matter how obscure these benefits might be to us at present. We must, if we are to experience peace, accept the suffering and surrender, just as Jesus did: Not my will but yours be done. In short, we must join Jesus in our own Gethsemane, for it’s there where we will experience his tender Presence. For he endured the ultimate unjust suffering for pure love of us, and he will meet us there in our moment of need.
By deliberately and repeatedly handing ourselves and each situation over to our good God for him to take care of, even though the situation might not change, my attitude does. If I move more into that place of living as a trusting little child, grasping my Heavenly Father’s hand, I can experience the peace and joy our Father wants all his beloved children to have. Acknowledging his goodness and wisdom can lead us out of our dithering and “stuckness” into eventual acceptance. Our surrender to his will in these difficult situations results ultimately in the gift of a settled peace of heart and mind.
Our heart’s prayer must be this: Jesus I trust in you, take care of everything.
