Question of the Week (03/17/24)
with Dr. Wilfred Graves Jr.
QUESTION: Can anything good come from suffering?
ANSWER: Suffering is not good in itself; however, God can cause all things to work together for good (see Romans 8:28). Sometimes God's people will endure trials and hardships in order to learn perseverance or to grow into maturity (James 1:2-4). If we are enduring trials, we should seek God's wisdom and direction in them (James 1:5-8). If others are enduring trials, we should provide them with prayerful support and an understanding ear, without platitudes, simplistic clichés, rebuking them for lack of faith, defending God's actions, or telling them our opinions as to why they are suffering. No one wants to suffer and to hear our explanations of why he or she is suffering.