What Good Comes Out of Suffering?

We all know Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Many people quote or read that verse to one who is going through suffering which may seem innocent at first, yet we tend to leave them wondering what good this hard time will bring about.

As I mentioned in a previous post that the good that Romans 8:28 speaks of is conformity to the likeness of Christ as mentions in Romans 8:29-30. In the beginning of the book of James, the Bible says:

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

Trials comes in many forms, and they will assist us in becoming more maturing believers in Christ. Yes, it is painful, but it is necessary for us as we walk with the Lord in this life. 

Our suffering is not just for our benefit, but it is also for the church. In 2 Corinthians 1, we see that God is the God of all comfort. God comforts us through His Word and He also comforts us through the church. The Bible says:

For just as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live.

Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who rescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by many persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many (2 Corinthians 1:5-11).

Romans 12:15 says "weep with those who weep." When a fellow believer goes through suffering, the whole church suffers with them. We comfort them as best we can and one way we can do it is to pray for them. The church comes together when suffering occurs whether in an individual believer or the whole corporate body of believers. 

The good that comes out of suffering is believer conform to the likeness of Christ, and the church come together to comfort those who are suffering.