Did you ever think of suffering as a kind of “spiritual discipline”? Actually one could argue that it’s really the only spiritual discipline specifically called “discipline” in the Bible. Nevertheless … the Bible talks about the right way to suffer.
First, consider the wrong way to suffer. Often you see a kind of “shaking your fist at God” response to suffering. “Why did you let this happen to me?” a person will ask. Some people go on to collapse spiritually when some family tragedy or life setback strikes.
Now obviously when someone is going through suffering it isn’t very helpful to tell him, “You should count your suffering as joy.” Rather, as Christians we “weep with those who weep.” We come along side those who are suffering, because one thing that is really hard about suffering is the sense of loneliness it brings. Suffering pushes you away from others because you don’t want to inflict your suffering on them, or because you don’t feel they understand your suffering. It’s important that we try our best to let people who are suffering know that they are cared for.
But our faith teaches us something about suffering. James tells us to “count it all joy … when you encounter various trials….” Putting aside the element of hyperbole here, the point is to not let our suffering have the last word. Suffering hurts (see Hebrews 12:11). But the pain is temporary. It passes, one way or another, and the result is the “peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Jesus himself “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross….”
Suffering intersects with faith. When you are suffering, pain fills your life and makes you think it is all there is. But faith tells us that not only is suffering temporary, it also has a positive effect on us. “Suffering is good for the soul” is a trite, oversimplified way of putting it. But to say that God uses suffering to perfect us (NOT to “punish us”!) is to give us a reason to think our suffering is not meaningless.
So … how do we suffer rightly? First, James himself, the one who says to count it all joy, nevertheless has some advice: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray …” (James 5:13). Prayer is a way to be less alone when you suffer. Prayer affirms that someone is “in it with you” — namely God. And certainly God is able to both hold you up through your trial and have an impact on the circumstances themselves.
James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” It is possible that this is better understood as saying something like: “… and let the work of producing steadfastness in you be finished….” In other words, go with God on these trials. Don’t kick and scream. Let him finish the job and then you will be finished! You’ll be perfect and complete.
Paul tells the Romans that our present suffering is not worthy of being compared to the glory that awaits us. Again, we know and see this by faith, because when we suffer it seems all-encompassing to our human eyes. But we suffer rightly when we keep our eyes fixed on the glory and endure the suffering, not as something good in itself, but as something that, in God’s hand, works good in us.
– January 2012