1 Peter 1:7

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Why do Christians suffer?

Why do we go through hard times?

What good can come of it?

I can’t tell you the number of times I have received questions like that as a pastor. I know I’ve rolled that question around in my head. While I wish I could get into the mind of God and discover the answers to that question, my faith is content and my pastor heart is content to share with people and myself what Peter shared with the early Christian Church.

Peter wrote to Christians scattered in various regions who all had two things in common. They believed in Christ, and following Christ in this world brought them hardship. Peter had received those earlier questions and no doubt had thought about them himself.

Where did Peter direct them and us? God’s making you better. He’s refining you. He’s making you stronger.

God has a purpose in the suffering we endure. God wants your faith to grow stronger and stronger and so when he allows difficulties or hardships in our life, he uses it for our good. It strips away all the places where we found strength and drives us to Christ, our sure and certain hope. Hardship drives us to Christ and his Word. It opens up opportunities for our faith to sing and shout the goodness and faithfulness of God. There’s a purpose in difficulty.

I know suffering hurts and difficulty is challenging. I wish I could give you the precise answers from God’s mind and hand of the why. I can’t. But take this for comfort: I may not know or understand God’s mind, but I do know his heart. He has nothing but love for you and your eternal good at heart.