Suffering is not what we desire. When it happens, a natural response is to ask, “Why?”.
When the disciples ask this about the blind man, Jesus doesn’t say sin necessarily causes suffering. But it would be a mistake to assume that it never does. There are consequences to ungodly behavior that can overflow into our life and those around us.
It’s not wrong to lament suffering and wonder why it’s happening. Many of the Psalms are full of lament, “With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him” (Psalm 142:1).
But somewhere along the line, the complaint needs to shift from the “why” to “what now” question. We may never know why. But we have the choice to trust that God is at work for good in and through our suffering in ways we can’t see (Romans 8.28). While there’s no doubt the blind man suffered, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9.3).
Today in your Chair time, talk with God about how you tend to respond to suffering. Do you stay stuck in lament or have you seen God do good things through your suffering as you’ve trusted him? Either way, ask for his help so his work may be displayed in you. Watch the video clip below as Senior Pastor Jeff Manion shares how his family is trusting that God might be displayed through them.
