Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Psalm 68:19

Ask any pastor and they will tell you that one of the questions asked most often of them in their entire ministry is this, "Why is this happening to me?" The very question assumes that a loving God and suffering cannot go together. There are three basic problems that are common to everyone, everywhere at some time in this life. They are sickness, sorrow, and suffering. You may temporarily escape one or even two of these, but you will never escape all three.

Even the most godly of people are not exempt from pain and suffering. The greatest Christian of all, the Apostle Paul, knew what it was to have problems. In fact, Paul closes the eleventh chapter of 2 Corinthians telling how he had been whipped, shipwrecked, robbed, mugged, betrayed, jailed and left for dead. His highway of holiness had been paved with hurt, heartache, and hardship. In this message, Dr. Merritt address God's view of suffering, and talks about why Christians suffer.

"There is no other venue where God shows His grace more strongly than in pain, sorrow and suffering. In fact, remember this--there is no grace without suffering and there is no grace apart from suffering." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: hardship, suffering, hardship, pain, perseverance, burdens, New Testament, Paul