God grants grace to endure suffering

 The definition of Suffering is the state of or an instance of enduring pain. When we go through experiences or are faced with the reality of having to live through suffering, our faith in God should increase as we seek shelter from the suffering.

Whether or not you are currently suffering physically or emotionally, you will at some point be faced with the choice to stand strong in your faith in God or want to lash out and cast blame.  You may blame yourself, blame someone else, or get angry and turn away from God. Before you do that, remember God understands suffering. He suffered for us on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins because He loves us unconditionally. It is because of Christ’s sacrifice we have put our faith in Him in the hope of spending eternity in Heaven someday. It is the same faith which gives us hope in the midst of suffering. God wants us to have resolute faith regardless of the pain and suffering we are exposed to or experiencing.

One way we can stand strong in our faith is to realize we are not alone and not the only ones to experience suffering.  One passage of scripture I have memorized continues to strengthen my faith. This directive from God is a passage of hope and is found in first Peter 5: 9 - 10 " Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

When we experience suffering, know that other believers in Christ have experienced similar and overcome them with God’s help. God is perfecting our faith, confirming our faith in Jesus Christ, and strengthening our faith for what lies ahead. This is how the maturity of a Christian develops. As the Christian matures and seeks to live for Christ, there’s a pretty good chance the instances of suffering will increase.  

God grants us the grace to endure any suffering and His power is revealed for His glory in our weakness. That is reason enough to stand strong in our faith in spite of our suffering.  Suffering is difficult and extremely painful. God uses suffering to make our faith strong in Him and nourish our hope. He is our Savior, our Protector, our Provider and most important He loves us.