Is There Purpose in Suffering?

July 21, 2026

Why do bad things happen to Christians? Couldn’t God step in and spare His children from all suffering?  Is there a reason behind our suffering?

Yes, God could shield us from every trial, but He doesn’t. As we go about our lives we fall into the trials that are common to all people. But as the people of God, we need to realize that there is a wonderful, divine purpose behind those trials.  What is that purpose?

In the opening sentences of James, we read: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4 NASB95).

Notice what God is trying to do in us. He is trying to bring us to perfection and completion— that we would be spiritually mature and full-grown. How can we ever reach such a state? One might say it is through study, prayer, self-control and other spiritual disciplines. These are certainly key ingredients of spiritual growth, but there is another necessary ingredient. Trials.

Do you see the connection? Various trials test our faith. Testing of faith produces endurance (if we pass the test). Endurance then leads to spiritual maturity and fullness. But it starts with trials! The trials we go through are working something wonderful in us! This is why James can tell us to rejoice when we face them.

And if this is true, then we can look at adversity in a way that no one else in the world can. We face the same types of problems in life as everyone else, but as followers of Christ, we can see trials as a reason to rejoice rather than despair. We can see opportunity rather than hopelessness. Yes, we will struggle. Yes, we will feel sadness and disappointment at times. But in the end, we can trust that our loving Father is working something beautiful within us.

The trials of life will certainly come. May God help us to face them joyfully, knowing His divine purpose. 

—Scott Colvin  

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Posted by Scott Colvin

Why Did Jesus Delay?

November 18, 2025

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was” (John 11:5-6 NASB95).

Have you ever been in a very difficult situation and wondered, “Why hasn’t God helped me yet?” Have you ever thought, “If God loves me, why won’t He act?”  I believe the above verses can shed some light on these kinds of honest questions.  These words were written about the illness of Jesus’ beloved friend, Lazarus. When Lazarus became ill, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus.  But when Jesus received the news, He waited for two days before leaving for Judea.  Why did Jesus delay?

One reason was because Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, and in raising Lazarus, both God and the Son would be glorified (John 11:4). This great miracle was also going to create faith in the disciples and in others who witnessed the miracle (John 11:15, 45). 

But there is another reason, related to the first, why Jesus delayed.  He waited because He loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  Notice the flow of the verses:  Jesus loved them, so (or therefore) He stayed two days longer.  One might think the verse would read, “Jesus loved them, and so as soon as He heard about Lazarus, He left immediately to help.”  But such is not the case.  It was because of His love for them that He stayed.  He stayed so that they could see the glory of God.  He stayed so that their faith could be built up in a profound way.

There is a deep lesson here for us:  Jesus’ love is demonstrated to us not by taking all our problems away, but by letting us see His glory in the midst of our problems.  Mary and Martha got to witness the glory of God in one of the darkest times of their lives, and it built their faith. What about you and me?  Is there anything Jesus could do that is more loving than letting us see His glory?

If you are going through difficulties in life, know that Jesus cares deeply for you.  He loves you.  Our pain deeply moves Him (John 11:33). Let us never doubt His great love for us, even when we’re wondering why He has delayed. It may be that, in times of difficulty, He is helping us to see His glory more clearly. May God help us to see it!

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

Where’s Safe?

September 28, 2017

A gunman kills a woman in a church parking lot and then enters the church building wounding even more. It may cause us to ask the question: where’s safe? It is a question I have thought about since watching the Twin Towers fall on live television. It’s a question prompted by natural disasters, accidents, and disease.

One thing I have reminded myself is that I still live in a relatively safe world. I walk the streets of my neighborhood without fear. The article “Crime in Context” noted: “a recent study posited that 5 percent of city blocks account for 50 percent of the crime. That is why most Americans believe crime is worse, while significantly fewer believe it is worse where they live.”* I still live in relative safety.

I recently sat across from a doctor and received the news: I don’t have cancer. It would be an understatement to say I felt relief. However, I still must be followed by a hematologist because my test results are irregular though currently free of disease, and I could face the opposite news someday. God has not promised me health. I know that disease does not discriminate and fall only on bad people. My prayers and the prayers of others may not always be answered in the way we would prefer. I’ve known too many good people with terrible diseases.

Disease, accidents, natural disasters, and crime are all a part of the world in which we live. Bad things happen in our world because sin entered it. Bad things happen to good people as well as bad, just as the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Paradise was lost, and humankind has been living with the consequences ever since. So, where’s safe?

Safe is not a place in this world. I or someone I know could be in the wrong place at the wrong time when disaster strikes. But I will not live my life in fear of what may or may not happen. A truly safe place won’t arrive until the age to come. In this world, the answer to where’s safe is found in a relationship. Safe is in Christ.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37–39, ESV)

So, what do we do as we await the safe place? We do what Christians have always done. We help the needy and hurting. We share the good news which brings light and healing to a dark and broken world. We walk by faith. In Christ is the answer to the question: where’s safe?

*https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/08/18/crime-in-context

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Posted by Russell Holden