thoughts on suffering from John Piper

"[God] calls us into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty or to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve or to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain, but rather to manifest, in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of His all-satisfying promises." - John Piper

Suffering in the Christian life is ultimately for joy. It is hard to believe this, especially when we are in the midst of suffering. But consider the multiple verses -

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." Heb 11:24-26

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:2

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." 1 Peter 4:13-14

In Piper's book Desiring God, the concluding chapter is on suffering, and it is particularly enlightening. According to Piper, the kind of joy that accompanies suffering as a Christian is not just a side-effect, it is something that we are to pursue. Both our Lord Jesus Christ and Moses chose suffering not for its own sake, but for the greater joy that it would bring. There are many different reasons to rejoice in suffering, and Piper gives many examples from the Bible as well as from the testimonies of many persecuted Christians and missionaries.

Ultimately, only suffering for a greater hope and joy can exclude pride or self-pity from resulting. If we focus solely on self-denial for its own sake, then there is no point. Self-denial is always for something greater - forsaking the temporal pleasures for the eternal ones, forsaking the worldly things that tantalise but never satisfy, for the fountain of joy that is God. Look at Paul's words:

"If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' " 1 Cor 15:32. In other words, if there is no hope of the resurrection, there was no point in Paul's suffering. If there was no greater joy, then he would be more pitied than all men, for he had forsaken the ordinary comforts of a Roman citizen, the good life that a person of his ability could easily have led.

I must admit that it is hard to really apply all this. For one, I am hardly facing any sort of direct persecution for being a Christian. And secondly, the attitude of joy is not something we can suddenly decide to have, and then have it. But as Piper says, if we are truly walking in obedience to God, any kind of suffering that we encounter is suffering as a Christian. And while we can't give ourselves that capacity to delight while suffering, we can pray for it, and at least be willing to take the focus off ourselves, and by reading His words, and taking them as truth, make the first step towards that. Don't underestimate the willingness, even that doesn't come easily enough. Remember that the joy is commanded. There is no separation between delight and duty. Delight is our duty.