Suffering is not an invention of man, or the devil. God invented suffering as a response to Adam and Eve’s rebellion. He inserted discipleship training into his command to work the ground (be fruitful) and bear children (multiply).

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life” – Gen 3: 16-17

God causes suffering. Not all suffering, but in my experience quite a bit of it. When I coached teams, one of my jobs was to make them suffer in practices – this allowed us to be ready for the game. When we parented our children, we would regularly discipline them – it was my joy to invest in them for their good in the future. Imagine a coach that just lets the team do as they like during practice. Or a parent that hopes their children will just learn from the consequences of their mistakes.

God is a better leader than any of us. He doesn’t struggle with insecurity and people-pleasing. He’s investing in our future. A good coach will push you beyond what you think is reasonable. A player’s trust in that coach allows him to be pushed. The coach longs for his players to trust him so he can lead them into all their potential.

This is a terribly uncomfortable concept for us in the West. God purposely hurts us. I’ve had to dig a few slivers out of my children’s fingers. As I move the “weapon” closer to my son, he can choose to pull back in fear. But if he looks into my eyes and leaves his hand in place, his unreasonable trust warms my heart.

God is loving us through discipline, or suffering. Like pulling out a sliver, he is freeing us from sin, healing our wounds and repairing damage from the enemy. But the heart surgery hurts. This is our opportunity to love God. When we trust him in those most difficult situations, it proves our faith in him. When we reject his discipline, we reject his leadership and remain stuck in our circumstances.

God’s main goal is not to help us avoid suffering. In the Western church, sometimes we forget that we’re in a battle. If we were on vacation, God would be helping us avoid suffering. But we’re up against an enemy who is leading billions of people to hell. God is pruning us to be more fruitful. Suffering as a Christian is normal, and essential if we’re going to multiply.