The Mystery Of Suffering

Revelation 2:10

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer… that ye may he tried.

Now why is there such a mystery about suffering? The Bible says that we re going to suffer. The mystery is not that we’re suffering but the fact that God allowed it to happen. God says to fear none of these things which thou shall suffer. He says He is the first and the last with all power and knowledge and yet he’s going to allow me to suffer. It is a mystery to know God loves me and still allows me to suffer. Is that a mystery to you? Because sometimes when you suffer, you’ll find yourself asking, “Does God really care?” That’s what the disciples asked you know when they were caught in the storm. They woke Jesus and said, “Master, do you care if we perish?” Now most of us know he can do something about it, do we not? But why is it that he will allow us to suffer.

The answer is in right there in Revelation 2:10. It says that you may be tried. The word tried means tested. Now any faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. Faith must be able to go through a test. You see anybody can love the Lord when the sun is shining or say, “I love you Lord.” when horns are honking at your door. Anybody can say, “Lord I know you’ll make a way.” when you’ve already got your icebox full. Anybody can say, “The Lord is good to me.” when you’ve got a good job to go to every morning. But testing time comes when you look in your icebox and nothing is in there. And you look in your pocket and ain’t nothing in there; pick up your phone and there’s no dial tone; turn on your light switch but the lights won’t come on; and you look out and somebody’s repossessing your car. It’s then when testing time comes; it’s then when you ought to be able to say, though you slay me, yet will I trust in you. Testing time is trusting time; testing time is trying time; testing time is delivering time. Suffering is a test.