Dumb question, right? We suffer because we live as broken people in a broken world. We suffer because of sin and its effects. Does God hear? If he does hear and answer, how will we know? Will it translate to less suffering in this life?
Notice Hebrews 5:7:”During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Jesus prays for relief and many other things, such as protection for his children (John 17). God hears and answers. But we know that didn’t translate into escape from the cross.
Now notice the next verses: “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered…”
Why do we suffer? Because we are learning, with Christ in his death and resurrection, obedience. Ouch. Even in the evil in myself and the world, suffering is allowed for us to learn obedience and dependency on God.
Not the way I would have written this story but it provides a way to think about what happens to us. This way of thinking doesn’t explain away or take away the pain but gives us the option to determine that we will learn to lean on God a bit more. Notice that there isn’t any sense of the idea that we learn something once and then are done with suffering.
Difficult words to take in, though try we must.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 