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Joy in the Wilderness
Sunoko Lin / Indonesia Media
 “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, ESV
Can our sufferings mean good for us? On Friday, October 19, I happened to attend a gathering of international students at a friend’s house. There were two Chinese visiting scholars and a Japanese student. We had conversation about the Christian faith. During the conversation, the finance professor from China named Song asked a very important question. He asked, “Can Christians be happy when their lives are miserable?” Why did he ask the question? It is because our host explains the Christians believe that God is all powerful. For example, He creates the heavens and earth; He knows our future; and all things are possible with God. He asked, “If so, are Christians free from problems? Our host wisely responded, “No.” In Song’s view, if God is all powerful, then Christians must be free from problems. The reality is that Christians are not free from problem. How can then Christians be happy, and how can they continue to believe in God?
His observation has some truth in it. Many of us have witnessed some of our friends stop believing in God because of the hard times in their lives. They quit because it is illogical. How can a powerful God allow sufferings? How can we find justification for sufferings? Can sufferings mean good for our faith?
What does the Bible say? In search for an answer, I came to a passage in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. There, Paul shared his immense suffering. He said his burden was beyond his strength. The New Revised Standard Vision translated well the intensity of the suffering of Paul and his companions: “We were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself” (2 Cor. 1:8). What is his struggle? Although the text is not clear in regard to the nature of his suffering, we know from Paul’s other writings, Paul experienced many sufferings in his ministry. The followings are possible sufferings referred by Paul as suggested by Thomas Constable, a Senior Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary:
The fighting of wild beasts at Ephesus, the uproar at Ephesus instigated by Demetrius, the outbreak of hostility against Paul at Ephesus, the shipwreck followed by a night and a day in the sea, the anxiety over the state of the Corinthian church, a deadly sickness, or Paul's thorn in the flesh.
Despite the unbearable burden, Paul opened his letter to the church in Corinthians with thanksgiving. Isn’t that amazing? He did not complain why God permitted such sufferings in his life. Some Bible commentators suggest the reason for Paul not to be specific with his suffering is that Paul wants the audience focuses on God who has rescued him from such intense trial. For Paul, the trial is not the focus; therefore, it is enough for the reader to know the intensity of his trial. Paul’s primary focus is his trust in God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction”
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