What We Get Wrong About Suffering

👉 If God is good, why does pain still exist? Does suffering mean you’re being punished—or could it be part of God’s plan?

Let’s just say it:
Suffering messes with your theology.

It’s easy to believe in God’s love when the bills are paid, the body’s healthy, and the prayers are getting yeses.
But what happens when the pain drags on?
When the diagnosis is bad?
When the waiting seems endless?

And the scariest part?

You’re doing everything right.
Praying. Serving. Obeying.
And still… the fire won’t let up.

What do you do with that?

🔥 “God, I Thought You Loved Me…”

Let’s not sugarcoat it—suffering hurts.
And when it hits, it usually whispers one of two lies:

“God is punishing you.”
“God has abandoned you.”

But here’s what Scripture shows us:

Job was righteous—and still suffered.
Paul wrote most of the New Testament—from prison.
Jesus, God’s perfect Son—was “a man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3)

So if pain meant punishment… God would owe Jesus an apology.

❌ Suffering Isn’t Always Because of Sin

We’ve inherited a sneaky prosperity mindset—even when we don’t preach it.
We think, “If I do right, good things should happen. If bad things happen, I must’ve failed.”

But the cross destroys that thinking.
Jesus did nothing wrong—and yet He was crucified.

God doesn’t only use blessing to speak.
Sometimes, He uses brokenness to shape us.

✅ Suffering Can Be Part of God’s Plan

Hear that again:
Not everything painful is outside God’s will.

Ask Joseph.
Sold into slavery, imprisoned unfairly, forgotten by men…
Yet later he said,

“You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Ask Jesus.
He sweat blood in Gethsemane but said,

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”

Ask Paul.
He had a thorn in the flesh that God didn’t remove.
Why?

“So I wouldn’t become proud… His strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Sometimes the thing you think is trying to kill you…
Is the very thing God is using to form you.

🧠 What We Get Wrong

Let’s break it down:

Myth: Suffering = God is mad at me.
Truth: Suffering ≠ absence of love. Sometimes it’s proof of God’s refining fire.
Myth: Pain means I’m outside God’s will.
Truth: Pain may be the exact tool God is using to align you with His purpose.
Myth: Good Christians don’t struggle.
Truth: Even the strongest believers weep, doubt, and wrestle.

💡 What Should You Do in Seasons of Suffering?

Don’t fake it.
God isn’t impressed by forced smiles. Bring your honest heart.
Lament.
Read the Psalms. Even David cried, complained, and questioned—but always came back to trust.
Lean into community.
You’re not meant to suffer in silence. Jesus had Gethsemane—but He also had friends close by.
Let suffering shape—not shatter—you.
The fire refines gold. The wilderness prepares warriors. Suffering is not your end—it’s a process.

🙏🏽 Final Thoughts

Suffering doesn’t always make sense on this side of eternity.
But it isn’t meaningless.

Every tear you’ve cried,
Every night you’ve groaned,
Every prayer you’ve whispered through clenched teeth—

He sees it.
He holds it.
He will redeem it.

“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
— 1 Peter 5:10

It might not look like victory right now…
But hang on.
He’s working something deeper than you know.

And your scars?
They’re not just signs of pain.

They’re proof that something holy is being written in your story.