Dear God, I Have Questions

There is suffering, affliction, and trials in this world. But where does it all come from in this fallen, broken world we live in?

Even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, suffered without food and water in the wilderness for 40 days and suffered on the cross.
James 1:2-8 NIV
[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault(you won’t be shamed for asking), and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Those verses from James are easier said than done, but they must be done in order for us to find clarity in God’s will for our lives, confront the sins we have committed, and understand why we go through certain trials.

James speaks of lacking wisdom, so ask God for it, and he will give you the wisdom you need.  When God gives you wisdom, discernment comes along with it🥰
Discernment/wisdom is key to understanding where trials and suffering have come from and why we go through them.

Suffering from your own actions
Some people stay angry with God because they don’t want to face the truth that their suffering is due to their own actions, not anyone else’s. This is where the double-minded, unstable person comes in. They blame everyone else around them for their troubles, and they blame God. They lie to themselves about their own suffering because they can’t confront their sin and double-minded behavior.
God will bring suffering to people who have damaged or inflicted trauma on others. It’s called God’s wrath or his vengeance. That is why we are to forgive the people who wrong us because God will have his vengeance on them in due time. But if we inflict vengeance, then we are gathering our own wrath from God.
An example of someone who has caused suffering for others by bullying, harassing, or making fun of the disabled population, and so on. God will place that same burden onto the one who inflicted the pain. Ironically, this is God’s mercy and grace because God is giving that person a second chance to change their ways. To cry out to God and ask for forgiveness for all the wrongs they have done. Sadly, not everyone does that. Some double down in their hatred and anger, bring more wrath onto themselves, and bring more suffering to the people around them.

Suffering at the hands of others
Then there are the ones who go through suffering at the hands of others. They don’t fight back or can’t because they are too weak or don’t have the power. Oftentimes, that is the circumstance because someone usually doesn’t pick a fight with a more powerful person. They know they would lose. So, the weaker vessel takes the suffering, the name calling, and the trauma. Sadly, the highest population that suffers like this is children 😢 Even though our justice system in this world is broken, there is a greater justice system that is our judge, and that is God Almighty 🙏 God sees all and knows all; nothing can be hidden from him. He will determine the sentence, and it will be fulfilled in his just time.

Suffering like Job
Then there is the suffering like Job. When Satan asked God if he could inflict trials on Job, a righteous man in God’s eyes. Job had everything: wealth, a family, and friends. It was all taken away from him. Job didn’t deserve it; Satan wanted to see if Job would deny God in the process.

Suffering that brings revelation
Then some go through trials and suffering because God knows that through that suffering they will come out victorious, stronger, closer to Jesus Christ, because they leaned on God through it all. The suffering was to reveal the true character of the person, to reveal the true character of the people around them. The suffering was a revealing. This one closely resembles Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. His death and resurrection revealed to everyone that there was no doubt that he was the Messiah and that only God could raise the dead. Jesus’s life is a revelation to the minds and hearts of everyone who comes in contact with him. This kind of suffering is what
Luke 9:23-24 NIV (Jesus’s words)
[23] Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Conclusion
Suffering and trials in life are not simply explained. There are many layers to a person’s circumstances. It takes wisdom, discernment, and truth from God to have clarity. It’s up to you, the individual, to be willing to hear the truth, then allow Jesus to heal you through the suffering.

I hope and pray this brings direction to you, the reader, so you may go to God for answers 💜✨️🙏