The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.

— Psalm 135:6

In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will

— Ephesians 1:11

6 so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

7 I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.

— Isaiah 45:6-7

3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

— Romans 5:3-5

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy from Jesus Christ to you.

God allows His people to suffer because suffering accomplishes God’s good purposes. Christians desire a theological understanding of suffering. People have long questioned why evil exists and whether God is all-powerful, sovereign, and only good. Many honest questions cannot be fully answered by finite minds. The fact that we cannot fully understand everything drives us to find comfort in what we can know with certainty. First of all we need to know God not only extends compassion to His children in their trials, but He also acts with determined purpose. Suffering is painful, but it is also purposeful, by God’s design. God strategically uses what is difficult for our good. When we struggle, we do so with real hope and comfort that Jesus experienced real suffering too.

God is completely sovereign— nothing happens outside His control. Even evil operates within God’s sovereign limits. God does not cause evil and therefore is not responsible for it. Humans are entirely responsible and accountable for their sin. Though Satan’s work abounds in this world for evil purposes, God is powerful enough to bring good results out of evil and suffering. In this fallen world, suffering molds and shapes our faith and character in ways nothing else will. God uses suffering in productive ways. We believers can rest knowing even the bad things operate within the scope of God’s control.