God Has Designed My Suffering

and give thanks to God for his grace in your life.

We're going to be looking at our title this morning,

God Has Designed My Suffering.

And you'll see on the inside of your new sheet,

there's two books that are available this morning.

I've mentioned them before.

And the first one is Invest Your Suffering,

Unexpected Intimacy with a Loving God.

So this red one here by Paul Millard.

So he shares throughout the book his experience of his wife's long-term illness

to which there's no known cure,

and his openness as he wrestles with scripture

and yet trusts in God, him and his family.

So that's at the back there.

You mightn't have heard of him, but I'm sure you will have heard of Joni.

Erickson Tadda, her book, A Place of Healing,

Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain and God's Sovereignty.

So it tells of her story through life.

She's wheelchair bound,

and yet God has used her amazingly through her suffering

to reach many people with the good news of Christ across the world.

And in many nations, people have been helped through her story.

So these are two books that I've read.

They're specifically written out of experience

and the context of walking through suffering.

So they're both very helpful for that reason.

And they're 10 euro each,

so they're available.

There's a few copies of each this morning.

Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for this story of grace

and your goodness to Mary in the midst of her life

and going through the storms and struggles that she has.

Thank you, Father, that you have been her father,

a rock, one in whom she can trust.

We pray now, Father, as we look together at your word,

as we listen to what you have to say to us,

that for each one of us, you would be that rock

in whom we can trust.

So help us now, Father, we pray.

Amen.

Well, you heard Mary's story,

and I wonder, how do you respond

when you go through times of suffering?

If it's an unexpected illness,

a relationship breakdown,

a disappointment in life,

what do you do when you suffer?

Well, I think there's one or two ways

in which we often respond.

First, when suffering comes,

we can run from God.

You see, for many,

personal suffering has no rhyme or reason.

God isn't in control,

and he can't do anything to make it stop.

The things we go through are just random events,

tragic circumstances that invade our happy lives.

It's just the way that life is.

So suffering can cause us to run from God.

It can all be flight.

Or sometimes we can fight with God.

We get angry and we get bitter

and we blame God for the things that happen.

And we shout at him,

you can't let this happen to me.

If you really cared for me,

if you really loved me,

you would make it all go away.

And so suffering can cause us

to fight with God.

But there is another way,

the way of faith.

We can trust God.

Have a look with me, please,

at Psalm 139, verse 13.

Psalms 139:13

Psalm 139, verse 13.

Psalms 139:13

Let's pick it up in verse 13.

For you created my inmost being.

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully

and wonderfully made.

Your works are wonderful.

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together

in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God.

How vast is the sum of them.

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I am awake,

I am still with you.

Did you see verse 16?

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Our life is in God's hands.

God ordains the day we are born

and God ordains the day that we die.

He is the one who gives us

our very first breath

and He is the one who takes

our last breath.

And if God controls the beginning

and the end,

then He controls every circumstance

and every event in between.

God knows all things.

God rules all things.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing happens in your life

without God's permission.

In fact, the message of the Bible is this.

God has designed my suffering,

so trust Him.

God has designed my suffering,

so trust Him.

You see, some people think

that the Christian life

is a blissful journey

from earth to heaven.

God's plan for your life

is to be healthy and wealthy.

No trials and no troubles.

But if you should suffer in some way,

you have somehow moved outside

of God's plan for your life.

No.

Everything that happens in your life

is ordained by God.

God has designed the suffering in our life

so that I can trust Him.

Now, to help us see this,

we're going to look at the lives

of four characters

in the Scriptures,

four people who suffered,

and how we see God's design

over it.

So the first one we're going to look at

is Joseph

in the place of God.

Have a look back at Genesis chapter 45.

Genesis 45 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 45.

Genesis 45 · chapter mention

Joseph, if you know anything about him,

was the youngest of 12 brothers.

The problem was,

his father Jacob treated him

as the favorite.

And while his brothers were out working,

providing,

slogging away,

Joseph stayed at home.

In fact, his father treasured him so much,

he made him a very expensive coat,

the famous coat of many colors.

If you like,

it was a one-off designer item.

And one day,

while his brothers were out in the fields,

Jacob sent Joseph out

to see how they were getting on.

And as they saw him approach,

they were filled with rage and jealousy,

and they plotted amongst themselves

how they were going to kill him.

But instead,

they sold Joseph

as a slave

to some passing travelers.

They covered his coat in blood,

and told his father

he was killed by a wild animal.

Joseph suffered.

He became a slave.

Not only that,

later on in his life,

he ended up being sent to prison

for a crime that he never committed.

And after 17 years

of one trial and struggle after another,

Joseph found himself

in better times.

He became second in command

to Pharaoh,

ruler of Egypt.

Now,

at the same time,

his brothers

were facing a severe famine.

So,

they traveled to Egypt

in search of food.

And who did they meet?

Well,

Joseph.

But look carefully

at what Joseph says

to his brothers

when they come

face to face.

Chapter 45,

verse 4.

Then Joseph said

to his brothers,

come close to me.

When they had done so,

he said,

I am your brother Joseph,

the one who sold you

into Egypt.

The one you sold

into Egypt.

And now,

do not be distressed

and do not be angry

with yourselves

for selling me here

because it was to save lives

that God sent me

ahead of you.

For two years now,

there has been a famine

in the land

and for the next five years,

there will be no plowing

and reaping.

But God sent me

ahead of you

to preserve for you

a remnant on earth

and to save your lives

by a great deliverance.

Yes,

the brothers

sold him as a slave.

They plotted it out.

They planned it.

They got money

for the sale.

But Joseph knew

that God

was ultimately

in control.

Look at verse 7.

But God

sent me

ahead of you.

You see,

suffering is not

a random

event.

It is not a mistake

or a plan

that has gone wrong.

God not only

allows these things

to happen,

he purposes

them to happen.

Flick on

a couple of chapters

to chapter 50,

verse 19.

Chapter 50,

verse 19.

Again,

Joseph is speaking

to his brothers.

verse 19.

But Joseph

said to them,

don't be afraid.

Am I

in the place

of God?

You intended

to harm me,

but God

intended it

for good

to accomplish

what is now

being done,

the saving

of many lives.

In my suffering,

says Joseph,

I am in the place

of God.

And in our

suffering,

we are in the

place of God.

God has designed

our suffering

so we can

trust him.

Second,

let's look at

Job.

Job chapter 1

Job 1 · chapter mention

comes before,

just before

Psalms.

Job chapter 1.

Job 1 · chapter mention

Job chapter 1.

Job 1 · chapter mention

Job chapter 1.

Job 1 · chapter mention

We've met

Job before

in our studies

on this subject.

We've seen

his sufferings.

He lost

his livelihood.

All his

animals and

servants

were taken

away.

His ten

children and

their husbands

and wives

were killed

in a tornado.

And then

Job suffered

a terrible

skin disease,

a flesh-eating

disease that

left him

in absolute

agony.

But look

at how

Job sees

all these

trials and

struggles.

Verse 20.

At this,

Job got up

and tore

his robe

and shaved

his head.

Then he

fell to the

ground in

worship and

said,

Naked I

came from

my mother's

womb,

and naked

I shall

depart.

The Lord

gave,

and the

Lord is

taken away.

May the

name of

the Lord

be praised.

In all

this, Job

did not

sin by

charging God

with

wrongdoing.

Everything

that happened

in his

life was

not some

terrible twist

of fate.

This is not

the result of

a God who

is absent

and powerless.

Look at

verse 21.

The Lord

gave,

and the

Lord has

taken away.

And even

when Job's

wife begins

to question

him over

his ideas

and his

thinking,

look what

she says

in verse 9,

chapter 2,

verse 9.

His wife

said to

him,

Are you

still

maintaining

your

integrity?

Curse God

and die.

He replied,

You are

talking like

a foolish

woman.

Shall we

accept good

from God

and not

trouble?

in all

this,

Job did

not sin

in what

he said.

He

recognizes

that God

brings

good

and that

God

brings

troubles.

John

Piper,

reflecting on

these verses,

put it

like this.

Follow

along as I

read.

it will

not do

to say

that God

only uses

our

suffering

but does

not

design

it.

What God

permits,

he permits

for a

reason.

And that

reason is

his design.

If God

foresees

suffering,

he can

stop it

or not.

If he

does not,

then he

has purposes.

purposes.

And since

he is

infinitely

wise,

it is

right to

call this

purpose

a design.

You see,

Job saw

his suffering

as purposed,

planned and

designed by

God.

Of course,

that doesn't

mean that

Job didn't

struggle or

that he

didn't have

questions.

the whole

book of

Job is

full of

questions and

his shoutings

at God.

However,

knowing that

God ordains

all things

leads him

to trust

God.

Look at

the conclusion

of the

book,

chapter 42.

The very

end,

chapter 42,

verse 1.

Look at

how Job

responds to

all that

has happened

in his

life.

Then Job

replied to

the Lord,

I know

that you

can do

all things.

No

purpose of

yours can

be thwarted.

Nothing

that happens

in our

life is

outside of

God's

plan for

your life.

Nothing

can disrupt

what God

has designed,

so we

trust him.

So

Joseph was

in the

place of

God.

Job

could say

no purpose

of yours

can be

thwarted.

Jeremiah,

all J's,

so it's

easy to

follow and

remember.

He was

one who

trusted the

Lord.

Have a

look at

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17.

Jeremiah

was a

prophet

called by

God to

speak a

message to

the people.

It wasn't

an easy

message,

it was a

message of

judgment.

His message

was simply

this because

the people

had persisted

in their

sin and

rebelled

against God.

God was

going to

take them

by way of

discipline

into exile.

That was

his message.

It's not a

nice message

to tell,

it certainly

wasn't a nice

message for the

people to

hear,

and Jeremiah

suffered for

it.

No need to

look up the

references,

I'll just

refer to them.

In chapter

12,

verse 6,

we read

about his

own family

who betrayed

him and

turned against

him,

left on

his own.

In chapter

20,

verse 2,

we read

that the

priest in

charge of

the temple

had beaten

him up and

then put him

into stocks

for everybody

to see at

the entrance

of the

gates.

In chapter

26,

verse 16,

he endured

continuous

death threats

of the

people planned

to try and

kill him.

Chapter 37,

verse 18,

he was thrown

into prison

and punished

by the

king.

And following

that event,

no sooner

was he

released than

he was thrown

into a

disused

well.

And this

is what it

says,

it had no

water in it,

only mud,

water in it,

and Jeremiah

sank down

into the

mud.

I think

it's fair

to say

that Jeremiah

suffered

terribly.

His whole

adult life

was marked

with one

trial after

another.

He had

done nothing

wrong.

He was only

doing what

God had

called him

to do.

Yet through

it all,

Jeremiah

didn't fight

God and

he didn't

flee from

God.

He trusted

that God

was over

all things.

You see,

in times

of suffering,

he looked

to God

in faith.

Look at

what God

says to

Jeremiah

in chapter

17,

verse 5.

So he's

already gone

through suffering,

he will go

through more

suffering,

and in the

midst of it

all,

this is what

God says.

this is

what the

Lord says.

Cursed

is the

one who

trusts in

man,

who draws

strength from

mere flesh

and whose

heart turns

away from

the Lord.

That person

will be like

a bush in

the wastelands.

They will

not see

prosperity when

it comes.

They will

dwell in

the parched

places of

the desert,

in a salt

land where

no one

lives.

But,

blessed is

the one

who trusts

in the

Lord,

whose

confidence

is in

him.

They will

be like a

tree planted

by water

that sends

out its

roots by

the stream.

It does

not fear

when heat

comes.

So no

matter what

the storm

or the

struggle,

he does

not fear.

It leaves

are always

green.

It has

no worries

in a year

of drought.

And never

fails to

bear fruit.

Trust me

with your

life,

God says.

Whatever you

are going

through,

don't run

to other

things and

to other

people.

Trust me.

And look at

Jeremiah's

response,

verse 14.

Heal me,

Lord,

and I

shall be

healed.

Save me,

and I

shall be

saved.

For you

are the

one I

praise.

Jeremiah

would go

on to

suffer much

more after

he said

that,

but it

was a

mark of

his life.

We

mightn't

understand

everything.

We

mightn't

make sense

of what's

going on

in our

life.

Our

suffering

may

continue

through

all of

our

prayers,

yet we

trust

that God

is in

control

of all

that

happens.

God

has

designed

our

suffering

so we

can

trust

him.

So

Joseph

understood

that he

was in

the place

of God.

Job

came to

see that

no plan

of God's

could be

thwarted,

and Jeremiah

knew what

it was

to trust

the Lord

in the

midst of

his

suffering.

This

has

changed

slightly

the title.

Well,

Jesus

is still

right,

but the

next bit

is

into

your

hands

I

commit

my

spirit.

Turn

to

Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter

2

with

me.

Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter

2.

Jesus

is the

supreme

example

for us

that we

can trust

God

in the

midst

of our

suffering.

Jesus

was one

who did

suffer.

Isaiah

the prophet

reminds us

he was

despised

and rejected

by mankind,

a man of

suffering and

familiar with

pain.

Jesus

knew what

it was

to be a

refugee.

He

experienced

hunger,

sleepless

nights,

he faced

opposition

and

rejection,

and

primarily

and most

of all

he suffered

the judgment

of God

on the

cross for

us.

He

suffered

the reality

of hell

for you

and for

me.

But all

this

suffering

that took

place

was all

designed

by God.

Peter

tells us

that Jesus

was chosen

before the

creation of

the world,

before this

universe

existed.

Jesus

was chosen.

The plan

was in

place.

The plan

was in

place.

Peter is

preaching,

preaching about

Jesus.

It's after the

death and

resurrection of

Jesus.

And look what he

says, verse 22.

fellow

Israelites,

listen to

this.

Jesus of

Nazareth was

a man

accredited by

God to

you by

miracles,

wonders,

and signs,

which God

did among

you through

him as

you yourselves

know.

This man

was handed

over to

you by

God's

deliberate

plan and

foreknowledge,

and you

with the

help of

wicked men

put him

to death

by nailing

him to

the cross.

But God

raised him

from the

dead,

freeing him

from the

agony of

death because

it was

impossible for

death to

keep its

hold on

him.

So who

is responsible

for the

death of

Jesus?

Well, we

could say

the people

and the

Roman

soldiers,

and we

would be

right,

wouldn't

we?

But, look

what it

says in

verse 23.

This man,

Jesus,

was handed

over to

you by

God's

deliberate

plan and

foreknowledge.

Before the

creation of

the world,

God planned

and ordained

and designed

the death

of Jesus.

Have a look

at Acts

Acts 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

Peter has

just been

released from

prison.

He's been

put in

prison for

teaching about

Jesus,

and the

disciples are

now facing

great

opposition.

Peter's

just come

out of

prison and

they begin

to pray

in verse

24,

Acts 4,

Acts 4:24

verse 24.

When they

heard this,

that is,

when Peter's,

when they'd

heard of

Peter's

release from

prison,

they raised

their voices

together in

prayer to

God,

sovereign

Lord,

they said,

you made

the heavens

and the

earth and

the sea and

everything in

them.

In other

words,

you're in

control of

all things.

And you

spoke by

the Holy

Spirit through

the mouth

of your

servant,

our father

David.

He spoke

about the

opposition that

there would

be towards

Jesus.

Jesus.

And he

quotes,

why do

the nations

rage and

the people's

plot in

vain?

The kings

of the

earth rise

up and

the rulers

band together

against the

Lord and

against his

anointed one.

And it

did come to

pass,

verse 27,

indeed Herod

and Pontius

Pilate met

together with

the Gentiles

and the

people of

Israel in

the city to

conspire against

your holy

servant Jesus

whom you

anointed.

They did

what your

power and

will had

decided

beforehand

should

happen.

So again,

who is

responsible for

the suffering

of Jesus?

Well, we

could say,

verse 27,

that it's

Herod and

his little

chat with

Pontius

Pilate,

the religious

authorities,

they put

Jesus to

death.

And we

would be

right.

But look

at verse

28.

They only

did what

your power

and will

had decided

beforehand

should

happen.

God

designed

the

suffering

of

Jesus.

The

lash

on his

back,

the

thorns

on his

head,

the spit

on his

cheek,

the bruises

on his

face,

the nails

in his

hands,

the spear

in his

side,

the scorn

of rulers,

the betrayal

of his

friends,

the desertion

by his

disciples.

These were

all the

results of

sin,

and all

designed

by God

to destroy

the power

of sin.

You see,

in Jesus,

we see

the true

Joseph,

the better

Joseph,

who was

sent by

God,

planned

by God,

designed

by God,

to come

and save

many people

through his

sufferings.

Jesus is

our better

Job,

isn't he?

The one

who is

ultimately

innocent,

and suffered

the ultimate

suffering for

us,

judgment

and hell,

so that

we don't

have to.

Jesus is

the true

and better

Jeremiah,

the one

who trusted

the Lord

with his

life,

when nothing

seemed to

make sense.

He committed

his life

to God.

You see,

knowing his

suffering,

knowing that

his way

to the

cross

was all

designed

by God,

Jesus

prayed.

Do you

remember what

he prayed

in the

garden?

Father,

if you

are willing,

take this

cup,

take this

cup of

suffering

from me,

yet not

my will,

but yours

be done.

Jesus,

as he

faces into

his suffering,

entrusts his

life to

the Father.

And when

he is on

the cross,

having gone

through all

the suffering

that he

endured,

Jesus called

out in a

loud voice,

Father,

into your

hands,

I commit

my spirit.

And when

he said

this,

he breathed

his last.

Because God

has planned

and designed

his

sufferings,

Jesus

could

entrust

his life

to the

Father.

You see,

as Jesus

prays,

he's

praying for

us.

Jesus

is standing

in for

us,

entrusting

our lives

into the

Father's

sovereign

hands.

He

prays the

prayer for

our eternal

salvation,

so that

we can

trust him

with our

life.

He

entrusts us

into the

Father's

care,

so that

when

suffering

comes into

our

life,

we too

can pray,

Father,

not my

will,

but your

will be

done.

Father,

into your

hands,

I

commit

my

spirit.

If God

willed and

decided all

that should

happen to

his son

would be

for our

good and

for our

ultimate

salvation,

how much

more then

can we

trust him

with the

sufferings in

our life?

In the

coming weeks,

we're going

to be

seeing how

God uses

our

suffering

for our

good and

the many

benefits and

blessings that

come through

that.

But as we

close, I'd

like us to

listen to the

testimony of

Joni Erickson

Tada.

It comes from

the book that I

mentioned earlier.

Joni suffered a

terrible injury as

a teenager that

left her

paralyzed from

the neck

down.

Joni trusts

God who

has designed

her suffering.

Listen to

what she

says.

These are

her words.

So many

have tried to

get me to

say that my

accident of

43 years

ago was

never part of

God's plan,

that my

paralysis was

never his

intention,

that quadriplegia

was never

necessary,

that chronic

pain didn't

have to be,

that suffering

was never part

of his plan,

that the many

tears and

groans and

struggles and

sleepless nights

were needless and

a waste of my

energy and my

life.

life.

But I know

differently.

It was all

planned long

ago and God

brought it about

in his perfect

faithfulness.

And because he

allowed it and

permitted it,

because he has

walked with me

through every

moment of it,

his plan has

been marvellous

for Joni

Erickson

Tadda.

God has

designed my

suffering.

God has

designed your

suffering.

And we can

trust him.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Father, we

look in

your

heart.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.