This is Part 5 of 5 parts answering the question, “Are there forms of suffering God allows we will never understand?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow suffering?”

You Can Trust That God Knows and Understands

This truth was addressed previously, but it requires a brief review to remind the believer of the hope he has in the Lord. God knows and understands everything about your life.  He also can sympathize with you in your trials! The writer to the Hebrews recorded,

¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. ¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:13-15 NKJ)

Yes, the Lord Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father knowing and understanding everything about your circumstance. He can “sympathize” with your weaknesses. For this reason you can run to His throne of mercy, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NKJ)

Yes, run to His throne of mercy, especially when you do not understand the suffering you are enduring!

Discussion Questions:

1) As you look at the many kinds of suffering in the world, which ones are the hardest to understand

2) A new Christian you are discipling is also going through tremendous pressure and questioning God. How would you counsel him, and what five things might you share with him to strengthen his trust in the Lord while suffering?

3) What are several things that make suffering so difficult while you are going through it?

4) John is married to Sally, but Sally has committed adultery several times with her boss at work. Sally keeps acknowledging it and claims she is free from any desire to fail again. How would you counsel this couple, especially related to the principles you have learned in this lesson?

5) Can you describe a time when you were in physical, mental or emotional pain and had trouble thinking about anything else? What steps did you take to change your focus? And how did you know how the pain influenced you, and especially how you then related to others?

This concludes this question.