Psalms 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
The definitive lesson of both Jesus and Job is that suffering is not necessarily a sign of punishment. It may be and often is a sign of special favor. Jesus did not promise to deliver us from pain and death. He promised to deliver us through it to eternal life. He who was himself most highly favored of God was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. If we are suffering innocently too then let us take the trials we are bearing to him who knows what it is like to suffer such pain. He will be able to turn our ashes into something wonderful in his time and in his way. Nothing, not even pain, is wasted in the Kingdom of God. If you are suffering, truly offer that suffering up to God. You many never have an opportunity like this again.
