Responses to Suffering

INTRODUCTION

Generally, people have responded differently to suffering. Torrents of ink will continue to flow on the responses to suffering. Some pray for suffering. There are others who don't seek for it but accept it as from God with patient endurance, believing that it is for a purpose; for instance, the comfort of others. Some believe that one should seek deliverance as suffering comes but also patiently endure it until deliverance comes or God directs one to accept it. The popular view in Christianity today is that suffering is from the devil and one is to resist it and pray for deliverance.
Negative response to suffering.

A common response to suffering is to utterly reject it. Many contemporary pastors teach their congregations to pray that suffering will not be their portion. Some writers don't regard anything noble to come out of suffering. The researcher believes that this is the error of Driscoll, Richard and Lloyd (1983) who argue that to uphold the view that some noble qualities could come out of suffering reveals a fundamental misconception of the nature and meaning of suffering.

This they believe is apparently based on the following:

Selective interpretations of Old Testament passages, on a misunderstanding of Jesus based on an overemphasis on the crucifixion and on a failure to distinguish between intentions and unintended secondary consequences; and on tendencies perhaps inherent in human nature to want to appear noble without doing all it takes actually to be noble. The misconception is that there is an inherent worth in suffering; one who holds this misconception has reason therefore to suffer in order to be more worthy.

(Driscoll, Richard and Lloyd 1983, 45).

Paul's attitude to suffering is not in consonance with Catholic monks who would inflict torture on themselves with the firm conviction that this would give them favour or merit with God. The researcher doubts whether they received the desired favour from God.

Perhaps a very negative response to suffering is the view that Christians should not suffer. This is a popular contemporary view of the concept. Christians who are suffering financially are regarded as possessing little faith, a position challenged by Awoniyi when he observes that "while faith can effect major changes in the life of a Christian, some changes are contingent on God's will" (2004,

The researcher would like to add that Awoniyi's presentation is not necessarily against the use of prosperity phrases such as 'your miracle is on the way', 'positive confession', 'seed faith', confession through action', 'miracle seed' and 'name it and claim', but rather their overuse. Paul would have thought that his miracle was on the way when he prayed several times for God to remove Satan's buffeting messenger in II Corinthians 12:7-10. Since God chose not to remove this suffering from Paul, Keller (1981) got it right in his analysis that "those who in the contemporary church... claim that Christians need not suffer are speaking out of sheer ignorance" (83).
The negative response of the prosperity teaching on suffering cannot be overemphasized.

A pastor is reported to have declared in one of his prosperity messages that: "Poverty should be under our feet, amen! Fear should end, amen! I don't care if you had no food when you woke up this morning. You cannot go back there, amen! Reach out and accept what is coming. You deserve wealth! Yes, amen (Robinson 2000, 28).

This "gospel of the now" (Okereafor 2000, 2), is a very clear indication that contemporary Christians are not willing to undergo suffering.

Heath identifies complacency as another negative response. He dismisses it as "the tendency to remain in our suffering, to exaggerate the injustice (and) to pout" (1966, 93). Expressions like 'if you only knew how much I am suffering' can have a genuine meaning. Often they express wounded pomposity. Men have spent their lifetime brooding, unable to shake off a blow of fate, nursing their wounds.

Positive response to suffering

As Madugba rightly observes "if we respond properly to suffering, God turns it into something that will feed the nations" (Madugba 2002, 78). If God, who is all perfection, suffered much abuse at the hands of His adversaries when He was on earth in bodily form, how can we expect less? Down the ages, God had indeed called out certain people who had gone through immeasurable suffering and endured appalling persecution. It is argued that not all of them were restored to prestige and prominence like Joseph, Elijah, and Daniel. There have been those who have perished and died terrible deaths like Peter, Paul, Watchman Nee and ten thousands upon ten thousand other righteous martyrs (Keller 1981, 82).

James explains that trials are a reason for rejoicing because of the effects produced (1:.2-4). One must hasten to note that James did not say 'if troubles come your way' but rather 'when troubles come your way' which implies that that they would inevitably come. It is not merely the coming of a single trial that is described by the author. "Trials of many kinds" (v.2) suggests that one is surrounded by people, objects, or circumstances that try one's faith. But why can trials be considered grounds for genuine rejoicing? If a person has true faith, those trials are capable of developing true perseverance.

Repetition of the word "lack" (v.5) suggests that the author is still discussing the subject of trials. Though nothing in God prevents Him from giving wisdom to His people, the latter have an internal problem. When one doubts, he is graphically described or illustrated by "a wave of the sea..." (1:6). This doubter (1:7), compared by the author, to the tossing wave (1:6) will receive nothing from the Lord (1:7) because he is unstable (1:8). The use of the conjunction (but) in 1:9 points or returns to the point of view in 1:2. Even though there is no clear connection with verses 5-8, the theme of trials of verses 2-4 is continued.

Some encourage Christians not to be discouraged with the temporal cares throughout the remaining days in this life. Circumstances must be accepted as they are presented. One should therefore expect periods of hardship to occur, and should not be dismayed when they arrive. Others suggest that one should lean into the pain knowing that God will use the difficulty for His purposes for own good. The researcher doubts whether this is not overstretching when it is noted that one should lean on the pain, something that is almost impossible to do.

Yancey upholds the idea that Christians must follow Jesus' example as they live in this world as His body and emotional response. According to him, "some of us will not see pain as a gift; some always accuse God of being unfair for allowing it. But the fact is, pain and suffering are here among us, and we need to respond in some way" (1996, 325).

Nkwoemezie believes that Christians must suffer and further notes that the solace lies in the fact that they never suffer alone. However, the researcher disagrees with his assessment of the concept of suffering in the Old Testament when he observed that "it is remarkable with all their experiences of terrible sufferings, the Israelites were never moved to take a pessimistic view of life. Since God is Lord, even Ecclesiastes, the gloomiest of the Old Testament writers, counsels the readers to enjoy life" (1998, 35). Firstly, Ecclesiastes is not a writer, but rather a writing of Solomon. Secondly, the use of the word never in the above quotation is an overstatement. The Old Testament is checkered with instances in which they were pessimistic.

Bruce (1999) discusses a part of I Peter in which it is evident that suffering for criminal activity will indubitably be disgraceful but would be an honor if one is reproached for the name of Christ. In his observation, "it is recognized that suffering may well be a Christian's lot" (92). Since Christ himself suffered, his people, called upon to suffer for Him must 'arm themselves' with this in mind (I Pet. 4:1).

Berner presents a view of suffering that is not popular today. Painful though it may appear, the account clearly portrays the ideal positive biblical response. This is the immediate impression Myrus Knutson's quoted testimony creates: "I remember the first thoughts that came to me when the doctors broke the news. At once I felt myself in God's hands. He had given me a rich and beautiful life. He didn't owe me even a minute more. I felt no resentment or rebellion. I felt myself lifted by the Holy Spirit into a new kind of world (1973, 15).

Grudem (1999) believes that "we should see all the hardship and suffering that comes to us in life as something that God brings to us to do good, strengthening our trust in Him and our obedience, and ultimately increasing our ability to glorify Him" (349). Jesus, though without sin, "learned obedience through what he suffered" (Heb. 5:8) and was made perfect through suffering (Heb. 2:10).

REFERENCE LIST

Awoniyi, H.O. 2003. Curriculum Response as Antidote to the Prosperity Gospel: a Proposal. Paper presented at the Intellectual Forum of West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos, Nigeria on February 5, 2004.

Balz, Horst and Gerhard Schneider, eds. 1981. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Berner, Carl W. 1973. Why me, Lord? : Meaning and Comfort in Times of Trouble. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Augsburg Publishing House.

Bruce, F.F. 1999. New Testament Documents : are they Reliable? Illinois: Intervarsity Press.

Driscoll, A., Richard M. and E. Lloyd. 1983. The Misconception of Christian Suffering. In Pastoral Psychology, 32: 34-48.

Grudem, Wayne. 1999. Bible Doctrine : Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan Publishing House.

Heath, Thomas R. 1966. In the Face of Anguish. New York : Sheed and Ward.

Keller, W. Phillip. 1981. Salt for Society. Waco, Texas : Word Book Publisher.

Kreft, Peter. 1986. Making Sense Out of Suffering. Ann Harbor, Michigan: Servant Books.

Madugba, Chinyere G. 2002. Brokenness : an Inevitable Experience for Spiritual Significance. Port Harcourt : Spiritual Life Outreach Publications.

Nkwoemezie, John. 1998. Suffering : Biblical Perspective. Onitsha : George-Mary Press and Publishers Ltd.

Okereafor, Humphrey I. 2000. A Critique of Prosperity Theology from a Biblical Perspective. B.A. project, West Africa Theological Seminary.

Robinson, Simon. Christianity is Booming in Africa with Drums, Guitars and Promises of Health and Prosperity. In Time magazine, 20(3) : 28-30.

Yancey, Philip. 1996. Where is God When it Hurts. Grand Rapids : Zondervan Publishing House.

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