"Give it to God"

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5 ESV)

Why does God allow suffering? Not only does he allow it, but He ordains it. One principle John Calvin stood on was the perseverance of the saints. In other words, no matter what we do or what trials lay siege against us, the elect will always retain their salvation.

Consider this: God took what was like a pile of dirty rags (Isaiah 64:6) and transformed them into His children. We, who are saved in Christ, are a living miracle. So, why do we suffer? Paul instructs us not just to accept our suffering but to rejoice in it. But why? It is because our suffering is not in vain. It is a crucial part of God's plan to shape us into the image of His Son.

When we are made righteous before God in our salvation, we will never be more righteous than we are at that moment. However, we are continually growing in our sanctification, our holiness. Over time, we are slowly molded into the image of Christ. As Christ suffered for us on the cross, we too will suffer so that God may slowly sanctify us, making us into the image of our Savior. Our pain and suffering are nothing more than the cross Christ instructed us to pick up and carry as we follow Him.

As we navigate this world, we will suffer, but as Paul points out, our character is changed, and we can outlast the suffering because we cling to Christ. When we come out of the trial or at least endure the highs and lows of the suffering, our hope in Christ increases. God fills our hearts with love, and we are given this love through the Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer. This love is a constant source of comfort and strength in our times of suffering.

But what about the mass tragedies, the plane crashes, the shootings, the earthquakes, and all the other disasters that occur, and for the survivors and the loved ones of the lost who endure great heartbreak and trauma? Surely God does not ordain this? God ordains everything. Only God is sovereign. Because of God’s holy nature, He is unable to create evil. Yet evil exists and has since the fall of Satan followed by man. God will use the evil of this world, as well as the trials and tribulations of the individual, for His glory.

Take Job as an example. Job was a righteous man, and yet God allowed Satan to test his faith through terrible attacks, losing his children in one fell swoop. Yet, Job clung to God. It is understandable for one to question the loss of a loved one, especially a child, but there is hope in the resurrection. We cling to God in these times and in our suffering, He strengthens, molds, and changes us. He gives us the understanding that it is not our strength that gets us through these times, but the strength of Christ that does.

Most of us are familiar with the phrase "give it to God." We often interpret this as a directive for enduring suffering, trials, and tribulations. However, I propose that this should be a daily practice. When you retire for the night and rise in the morning, you must "give it to God," your life, your day, your decisions. Let Him guide you through the day, help you resist temptation, watch over your loved ones, and provide for your physical, mental, and spiritual needs. This is what true surrender looks like.

When we relinquish our belief that we control our lives, we “give it to God.” We trust that He knows best. In our freedom to make decisions, God gave us limited free will, but in our decision-making process, we must “give it to God” to help us in those decisions. A wise man once said the answer to all life’s problems is found in scripture, and he was right. “Giving it to God” is as simple as understanding that truth in all things is found in scripture. When we try to work through problems, illnesses, and sufferings on our own, we rely on our physical and emotional feelings. Emotions cloud thinking and judgment. Physical pain causes anger, depression, resentment, and many other feelings. We must rely on scripture to see the truth in a situation; we “give it to God” to help us know this truth in all situations. This reliance on scripture should give us reassurance and confidence in our decisions.

God made humankind from molded clay and continues to mold you through your suffering, trials, and tribulations. Billy Graham, in response to the great MGM hotel fire in 1980, said, "There's a mystery to tragedies like this. We don't know the answer. And we may never know until God explains all things to us." I think that when we reach heaven and stand before God, the answer we seek will be right there before us; no explanation is needed.

Are you struggling with pain and suffering? Do you have Christ to lean on? If you do not know Christ Jesus as your Savior, seek Him today. If you are confused and have questions on Jesus, salvation, or Christianity, contact us here at In Messiah Ministries.

Grace and Peace!