Lesson 11: Response to suffering - rejoicing
Philippians 2:27-30 (ESV)
27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,
30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

In the past few lessons we have studied the purpose God has for suffering in our lives. Now we begin a series of lessons that tell us how God wants us to respond to suffering in our lives.

The first of these responses God wants us to learn is rejoicing.

How can we rejoice when we have lost someone we love dearly? A parent, a spouse, a child - the suffering of loss can be devastating in our life. But God tells us, those of us who are Christians, that He does not want us to grieve as others who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We who believe in Jesus can believe His promise that one day all our sorrow will be wiped away. If the loved one who died is a believer, that person has gone to heaven and is waiting for us there. Our separation from that person is only temporary. That person’s suffering is done, they will never hurt or be in pain again. As much as we might miss them here, we have the hope of seeing them again. For all our loved ones in this world we can do nothing better than urge them to come to Jesus for this reason.


How can we rejoice when a loved one is hurting? Again, our joy is not in the circumstance but in the certain hope that God knows all about what is happening, He is not caught by surprise, He has a plan for this situation that is perfect. A believer known to this author who had prayed for a friend to become a Christian suddenly saw that friend suffering, first from a heart attack, and then from an accident. The believer wanted to ask God to end this friend’s suffering, but then realized the suffering this friend was enduring was for the purpose of bringing this friend face to face with Jesus. So the believer began to pray that God’s perfect will would be done through this suffering so it would result in this friend’s salvation. Praise the Lord, that friend found Jesus. Suffering had its perfect result in this friend.

As we learn to trust Jesus in all the suffering in our life or in the lives of those we love we will recognize more and more the truth of His promise found in Romans 8:28 that He can indeed make all things work together for our good!

*Have you prayed for your own or a loved one’s suffering to be over? How does this lesson help you refocus your prayers?
*Can you say God has brought you to the place where you’re rejoicing in your own or a loved one’s suffering? What truth in this lesson can help you begin to rejoice? (Philippians 4:4)