Suffering is part of God's curriculum for his children. There's no way we can follow Christ and not have a time of suffering in our lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it like this:
The disciple is not above his master. Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ. It is therefore not surprising that Christians should be called to suffer.
This morning I was in Heb. 4:14-16.
Here the writer says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one having been tempted in all respects in likeness to us, apart from sin." The negative way in which this truth is asserted suggests that a rebuttal is being made to an objection. Perhaps someone had been saying that a high priest in heaven is a poor substitute for an earthly priest we can see and touch. At any rate, the author's point is clear: because Christ, the God-man who is fully acquainted with human suffering, has passed through the heavens, he is in the most advantageous place to help us. Therefore, when we crave a special touch of God's mercy and grace, we can find our access to him through Christ and receive the timely help that is tailored to our particular need.
Today I'm rehearsing one of those difficult, soul-searching times in my own life, in fact one of the most extreme situations I've found myself in. I could say a lot about it, but one thing is certain: it was a time when God showed himself strong. All I needed to do was acknowledge it, to realize it. Today you may be facing a similar desperate hardship in your own life. I hope you won't forget that God is involved in your situation, painful though it is. No suffering is easy. But it's necessary if we are to reach maturity as believers. Always, God is at work, even in the whirlwind and the storm. Somehow he will have his way in our lives. It will be for our good and his glory. But we are NEVER on our own. He is there with us, in us, and for us, showing himself strong. He may do this in the shadows, behind the scenes. He may not be all that evident, or at least not as visible. But he's at work. He is there, and he is not silent.
We cannot go anywhere he has not already been.