Vulnerability can be a terrifying thing. When our lives are exposed to the world’s cruel taunts and harsh mockery, and those we once trusted are now the ones who torment us, security can feel very distant. Loneliness and despair flood into the space carved out by rejection.

Suffering in this way–indeed suffering in any way–is our soul’s response to the fact things are not right in this world. Suffering is not merely an experience of pain; it’s an expression of desire for proper order to be restored. When we suffer, we’re crying out for righteousness.

Thankfully, we have a God to whom we can direct our cries. They don’t just dissipate into the nothingness of space. They find a home in God’s heart. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me onto the Rock of Ages”. 

This is what suffering ought to do. It should direct us to the God that can and will make all things right. Because when we turn to him, our God takes our cries, our weakness, and our sin-induced suffering into himself and, in so doing, saves us.  Suffering should bring us to his throne of grace, where sin meets its end, we find forgiveness, and our tears will ultimately be brushed away by his gentle touch. This is all on offer because of his unfailing love for us.  And in that love, he wants to affirm us with his faithfulness and build us up with his word of truth. In God, there is no rejection, no mockery, no torment. There is commitment, love and salvation, among myriad other blessings.